New-York tribune., 1922-08-28
Motor Manufacturers Asserts
Railroads and Operators
Are Combining 10 Keep
Present High Prices Up
Detroit Faces Paralysis
Fuel To Be Ra.ioned and
Certain Industries Denied
Amy More Electric Ciirreni

1
DETROIT, Aug. 27. Henry Ford.
who has announced that all his great
motor plants will close on September
ie because Of lack of fuel, declared
to-day that he would not buy coal at
the present prices, even IL he had the
chance.
He charged the mine operators and
railroads with coilusion in keeping
prices up and denounced 81 and SO a
ton at the the mine mouth as the ex-
treme OF profteering.
| The shutdown of the Ford industry
| will throw 10000 men out Of work
and affect hundreds of thousands more.
All the great Industrial centers of
Michigan report the coal situation as
becoming worse
Situation Alarming
Railroads and mine owners are in
an agreement to keep the prices of
coal up said Mr.. Ford. "There is
no use trying to balk them, and /, for
one, am tired of trying. They have
baked the public at every turn and
been allowed to get away with it. They
are directly responsible for my being
compelled to lay off 10000 workmeil
here in Detroit, to say nothing of the
greater number that will be affected in
other cities of the country. But it
was the only thing could do. can
not operate without coal, and plenty
of it.''
A bulletin issued to-day by State
Fuel Administrator Potter declared
that the situation is growing more
alarming daily and that little coal is
coming into the state The supply is
consigned for the most part to jobbers
and dealers, without reference to
priorities.
With work completely suspended on
several large construction enterprises,
leaders in the building industry say
that it is simply question of days
before therenAwill be a paralysis of
operations, and thousands of men
thrown out Of employment in Detroit.
Only two priority firms in Detroit
have been granted coal by the Federal
Detroit Reduction Company. which
disposes of the city's garbage, and the
Detroit Edison Company, which fur
nishes power to many Of the great
plants as well as the electric tunnel
locomotives of the Michigan Central
Railroad. The Detroit Edison has
issued warnings that it may soon be
compelled to refuse electric power to
all non-essentia industries and pos
sibly some industries classed as
essential.
Other Closings Loom
One hundred and sixty-one coal deal
ers have called meeting for to-mor-
f%a,. 81 ....I /.
by Governor Groesbeck, when plans for
rationing coal to Detroit consumers
will be formed. Now in the hands of
the retailers is aboutf8 per cent of the
normal supply in yards at this time of
the year. No consumer will be allowed
to possess more than thirty days.
supply, according to a statement by
Governor Groesbeck. This includes
householders.
81 hope and believe that / can pre-
vail upon the coal dealers of Michi-
The state will not tolerate profiteer-
ing" said the Governor.
Governor Groesbeck added that he
believed it would be far easier for the
state to prevent profit ering if the
| Federal fuel administration relin-
quished control of the fuel situation, as
was intimated in dispatches from Di-
rector Spencer to state Administrator
| Potter.
Heads of several automobile indus
tries said to-day they were not antici-
| pating the necessity of shutting down
their plants "in thesnear future" Some
| Of them have coal to insure operation
| for thirty days.
| From Toledo comes the announce
ment that unless several of the large
| factories there can obtain fuel imme-
diately they will be forced to follow
Ford's example and send their men
home for an indefinite period. The
| Willys-Overland officials announced,
however, that they would not close,
although they may have to 60 into the
open market and pay exorbitant prices
flor, coal.