Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-08-09
THE COAL SITUATION.
People of Maine Must Awake to its
Seriousness.

Benjamin F. Cleaves, executive
secretary of the Associated Indus
tries of Maine, calling attention to
the critical situation in regard to
next winters coal supply, addresses
| the following letter to every user of
| coal in Maine:
Do you realize how serious is the
| coal situation in your State, not only
with reference to the matter of the
| shortage of the general supply of both
hard and soft coal. but the difficulty
| there well may be in obtaining even a
modest supply to meet our extreme
necessities from now until spring?
Governor Baxter has undertaken to
set up, in accordance with Federal sug-
gestion an organization in the State,
through which coal must be obtained,
if it is obtained at all. He needs. and
is entitled to, the full, hearty and I'M
selfish cooperation of every citizen OF
the State, and if you who are users of
coal obtain any supply at all, you must
so cooperate.
The Governor is asking each dealer
in hard coal to give him a statement
with reference to the supply on hand
in his yard, and the requirements of
his customers during the winter. I'm
less this information is promptly re-
ceived, the Governor and his Commit
tee will be unable to give the Federal
Fuel Distributor the necessary in
formation upon which to base the al
location to Maine of it's hard coal sup
ply assuming that the strike Is set
tied. and there is any SUPPLY. 1t is
possible that no soft coal will be re-
ceived and distributed except through
the Federal Distributor, acting in con-
junction with our State of Maine Dis
tribution Committee. AS the Federal
regulation is somewhat universally
understood the Federal Distributor
has absolute control of the distribution
of coal to the several states. First
comes railroad coal, and this Will De
allocated and distributed direct from
Washington Next comes the coal TOT
nublic utilities, hospitals. public IN
situations, hotels. restaurants, ana
similar users. and next come the IN
dustrial users, who are in the last
class AS the Federal regulation is
understood, there must be Centrai
state Committee to which all hard ana
soft coal Will Dt COHoiSiASN'
committee will see to the Distribution
within the State. This committee must
either make financial arrangements LOT
the purchase of the coal, or procure IL
through a guarantee of the purchase
price. Unless the Governor ana MS
committee know Immediately what
your stock of coal is at the present
moment and what your requirements
for the future are, he will not be able
to give to the Federal Distributor the
information necessary. The state
which most promptly puts it's central
committee in position to give accu-
rate information of it's situation Will
in all probability be the one to which
the necessary supply of coal will first
begin to flow.
To those of you who feel that you
have contract with some dealer or
with some operator, and that that con-
tract will be carried out, let me say
that there is considerable doubt with
reference to this. Many believe that
coal so purchased, even if actually on
it's way to you may be taken by our
Central Fuel Committee, and dis
tributed either to a public utility
which needs it, or to others in class
above the industrial user, and in that
way coal purchased by you, and al
ready on the way to you, may be di-
verted In other words, it is possible
that our entire supply of hard and soft
coal will have to be purchased and dis
tributed through this Central Commit
tee and the industrial user who thinks
he has a binding contract may have to
take his chances, unless he operates
through this Central Committee.
In any event, the Governor and his
committee ought to have Immediately
the information from our industrial
users of coal with reference to the
stock they now have on hand, and
their requirements for the future, to
the end that If the Federal Distributor
should rule that all coal, regardless of
existing contracts, must be received
by, and distributed through, these
state central organizations, you will be
in a position to receive just treatment
in such distribution,
/ therefore ask every industrial user
of coal to Immediately; by wire, give
the Governor the information herein
outlined, to the end that our Central
Comittee may be in position to inn
mediately present Names needs. and
begin to supply Names wants. Let
each corporation, or lesser industrial
user, of soft coal feel that the success
of our State Fuel Distributing Commit
tee depends upon his particular prompt
acquiescence to this request.
l am not speaking for the Governor,
but am putting forth this statement in
the interest of industrial users of soft
coal, so that by helping the Governors
committee they may be assisting them
selves