Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1922-09-01
THE FIRST BIG SHUT
DOWN BECAUSE OF COAL

| DetfO1t, Mlcn.y aug. zo.-TlnduS
1.-THE country over, must throw up In,
hands in surrender, within a few
weeks, if the rail and soal strikes con-
ttinue, Henry Ford declared today in
announcing the decision Of the Ford
Motor Company to close its plants
here and in. many other cities on
September 16, becauSe of the fuel sit
uation.
Mr.. Ford held financial interests re-
sponsible for the industrial tie-up, de-
claring the money barons" were
manipulating the labor unions and
that, public officials, state and nation
I al, were impotent in the crisis.
The strikes would end, he contin-
ped, r"when the majority of the peo-
Eple are cold and hungry enough to ore-
sort to drastic action"
Continuance of these disturbances to
the economic life of the nation is due
simply to the "greed and avarice of
Wall street, Mr.. Ford asserted, add
ing that these interests dominated
the railroads, coal mines and public
utilities of the country"
The deadlock in strike negotia-
tions indicated, he declared,s the exis-
tence Of "asplot to unload the demor-
allied railroads on to the government
at their own price and to mulct the
people through excessive prices"
One hundred and five thousand en-
ployes of the Ford Motor Company
throughout the country will be, with
out Jobs after September 16. In ad-
dition, several hundred Thousand
other workers employed in Industries
furnishing materials for the Ford
plants will be affected.
Henry: Ford gave these figures. to-
day in announcing that his three big
motor. plants located in Detroit SUI
burbs, and his assembling, plants
throughout the country would be clos
ed on that date because Of the coal
shortage.
The announcement was the most Sc
we're blow that industrial Detroit has
sustained since the industrial depres-
sion of two years ago., It means, ac-
cording to Mr.. Ford, that $4,000 men
lemplcyed in the Highland Park; River
!; Rouge and Dearborn plants of the
company will be without work. Thirty
thodsand Others now working in the
various assembling plants Scattered
throughout the entire country viii be
thrown out Of employment. How long
the machinery in the Ford plants is
to be stilled will depend entirely upon
the coal supply of the future, the De-
tpoit manufacturer said. The state
ment issued by Mr.. Ford, announcing
the proposed shutdown, was the story
Of his losing fight during the last few
months to insure a fuel Supply suf-
ficient to keep his workers at their
machines. GJ
Mr.. Ford declared he chad not. the
remotest ideap when the plant could
be reopened. 1T was announced that
the normal daily consumption of coal
in the Ford industries was $500 tons,
and, although declining to state the
amount on hand at this time, officials
said it would be i'm possible to do more
"than keep the furnaces and ovens
warm."
"By Sept 16 our reserve stock will
be entirely exhausted. East night we
wired 900 houses that supply us with
material to stop shipments, and, this
morning letters and kilograms were
sent to about 1000 more.
Eve appreciate,the great loss 1t viii
mean to the hundreds of supply
houses, but it also viii mean a tre-
mendous loss to us. At present we
are producing $500 cars day and we
can sell $500 day. We have to close
down at a time when we are doing a
greater business than ever before in
our history, S,4
The Ford plants. in the aggregate,