Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-08-28
FUEL SHORTAGE
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| Il Il
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ploycs of the Ford Motor Co. through
out the country will be without Jobs
after Sept. 16.
In addition several hundred thous-
and other workers employed in indus
| tries furnishing materials for the Ford
| plants will be affected.
| Henry Ford gave these figures today
in announcing that his three big motor
| plants located in Detroit suburbs and
his assembling plants throughout the
| country would be closed on that date
| because of the coal shortage.
The announcement was the most
severe blow that industrial Detroit has
sustained since the industrial depres-
sion of two years ago. 1t means. ac-
Cording to Mr.. Ford. that $4,000 men
| employed in the Highland Park, River
Rouge and Dearborn plants of the COM
pany here will be without work. Thir-
ty thousand others now working in the
various assembling plants scattered
throughout the entire country also will
be thrown out of employment.
How long the machinery in the
| Ford plants is to lie stillcd will de-
| pend entirely upon the coal supply
of the future, the Detroit manufac-
turer said.
The statement issued by Mr.. Ford
announcing the proposed shutdown
was the story Of his losing fight
during the last few months to in
sure Il fuel supply sufficient to keep
his workers at their machines.
Mr.. Ford declared he had not
the rcmotest idea" when the plants
could bc rcopencd. lit was announc-
cd that the normal daily consump-
| ton of coal in the Ford industries
| was $500 tons and although de-
| Ginning to state the amount on hand
at this time, officials said it would
be impossible to do more "than
/ keep the furnaces and ovens warm. -
Only u comparatively small num-
| Der of the employees of the Ford
| plants will be retained in service
during the shutdown. it was an
nounced. Crews sufficient to keep
the furnaces warm will be held how
| ever.
Mr.. Ford's statement follows:
THE coal situation has become
impossible. For the last several
weeks we have seen situation APP
preaching that we feared would
force us to close. We greatly regret
| having to take that step. E.dsel.
! (Edsel Il. Ford, his son, president
of the motor company and l re-
turned from our eastern trip, and,
night before last with every posi-
bic data and information bearing
on the subject before us, we strovc
until almost daylight trying to find
some way out without closing down.
Every way we turned we were
! confronted by the nituatiOn that I'M
/ der the present handling of coal there
never would be time when we
would have enough coal TO operate
! the several departments of the plant
simultaneously.
1--WE therefore decided that of ne
ccssity we must close down sooner
or later. We wish to keep enough
| coal on hand to keep our furnaces
and coke ovens warm; to lot them
get cold would cause us Il loss of
/ hundreds of thousands of dollars. At
the rate We arc getting coal now,
Sept 6 will mark the time when we
will have only enough left to keep
our furnaces and ovens warm.
"Our reserve stock by that time
will be completely exhausted. We
therefore will close down the entire
plant on Sept. 1G.
Last night we wired 900 houses
that supply us with material to stop
shipment and this morning letters
and kilograms were sent out to about
1000 more.
I'VE appreciate tho great loss it
will mean to these hundreds of sun
ply houses but it will also mean a
tremendous loss to rs. At present
we are producing 5000 cars a dav
and We can sell $500 n day. We have
TO close down at a time when we
are doing greater business than
ever before in our history"
Effect of the Ford shut down will
be felt on industry on every part of
inc country, according TO officials of
the company. The number of work.
ers employed by firms supplying the
FORD Company with various parts
and raw materials including iron and
steel. was variously estimated as
from several hundred thousand to
three million"
The plants in Detroit's suburbs
were closed for number of weeks
during the industrial depression near