The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-30
FORD
PREDICTS
GREAT CRISIS
and Rail Strikes
Paralyze Business
&C h a r g e S That
Wall Street is Re-
sponsible

country over must throw up its
hands in surrender" within few
weeks, if the rail and coal strikes
continue, Henry Ford declared %
day in announcing the decision Of
the Ford Motor Company to close
its plants here ard in many other
cities September l6 because of the.
fuel famine.
Mr.. Ford held financial interests
responsible for the industrial tieup,
declaring the money barons" We're
manipulating the labor unions and
the public officials, state and ma.
tional, were inpotent in the crisis.
The strikes would end, he con-
tinued. when the majority Of the
people are cold and hungry enough
to resort to drastic action"
Continuance of these disturb
ances to the economic life of the
nation is due simply to the greed
and avarice of Wall Street" Mr..
Ford asserted. adding that these
interests dominated the railroads.
coal mines and public utilities Of
the country"
The deadlock in strike negotia-
tons indicated, he declared, the
existence Of pilot to unload the
denoralized and rundown railroads
on the government at their own
price and to mulch the people
through excessive prices
Employees of the Ford Motor
company throughout the country
to be without jobs after Septem
ber~l6. will number 5000.
In addition, several hundred
/; thousand other workers employed
in industries furnishing materials
for the Ford plants will be affect
ed.
Henry Ford gave these figures to-
day in announcing that his three
big motor plants located in De-
troit suburbs and his assembling
plants throughout the country
would be closed on that date, be-
cause Of the coal shortage.
Blow to Detroit
severe blow that industrial Detroit
has sustained since the industrial
depression OF two years ago. It
means, according to Mr.. Ford. that
! 5000 men employed in the High
land Park. River Rouge and Dear
born plants of the company here
Will be without work. Thirty thou
sand others now working in the
various assembling plants scatter
ed throughout the country also will
; be thrown out Of work.
How long the machinery in the
; Ford plants is to be stilied will de-
pend entirely upon the coal supply
of the future, the Detroit manufac-
ture said. The statement issued by
Mr.. Ford proposing the shut down
was the story Of his losing fight
during the last months to insure a
fuel supply sufficient TO keep his
workers at their machines.
Mr. Ford declared he had not
the remoteSt idea" when the plants
could be reopened. 1t was announc-
ed that the normal consumption Of
| coal in the ford industries is $500
tons and although declining 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"
Statement by Ford
Only a comparatively small num-
Der of employees Of the Ford plants
will be continued during the shut
! down. it was announced. Crews
sufficient TO keep the furnaces warm
i, will be held, however, Mr.. Ford S
statement in part follows:
The coal situation has become
| impossible. For the last several
weeks we have seen situation ap-
; preaching that We feared would
force us to close. We greatly re-
gret TO take that step.
We wish to keep enough
, coal on hand to keep our furnaces
and coke ovens warm: to let them
get cold would cause US loss OF
{ hundreds of thousands Of dollars.
At the rate we are getting coal now,
September 16 Will mark the time
! when We will have only enough
coal left to keep our furnaces and
ovens warni.
Our reserve stock by that time
Will have been completely exhaust
ed. We therefore. will close down
+; the entire plant on September 10.
Last night we wired 800 houses
that supplied US with material to
stop shipment and this morning
letters and 4telegrams were sent
out to about | 600 more.
I'VE appreciate the great loss II
viii mean 10 these hundreds OF sup
ply houses. but it will also mean
tremendous loss 10 US. AT present
we are producing 500 cars a day
and we can sell $500 day We
! have 10 close down at a time when
We are doing a greater business
than ever before in our history.
Effects OF the Ford shut down
VIII be felt in industry in every
part of the country. according to
officials of the company. The num-
; Der of workers employed by firms
supplying parts and raw materials,
including iron and steel. was va
riously estimated at from several
hundred thousand TO 100000.
Announcement was made recent
|. that Mr.. Ford has installed oil
burning furnaces at one OF ms