The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-08-09
ORGANIZATION
FORMED HERE
BY OPERATORS
Look to Permanent Develop.
mcnt of Lignite Industry
Through Cooperation
DISCUSS SITUATION
Officers Elected and Second
Meeting VIII Be Held on
August % Here

Development of the Ignite coal in
dustry not merely to serve the emer-
gency created by the present nation
al coal sh ortage but to permanently
enlarge the industry in North Dako-
ia to one of the greatest in the
Northwest was advocated at the con-
ference Of Ignite coal operators held
here today at the call of the state
railroad commission, as fuel admins
traitor for the state.
Organization of operators to en-
bark upon a campaign of education
as to the uses and availability Of lig-
mite coal was urged by Stanley. Wash
burn, of Lakewood, N. j., war cor
respondent and director in the Wash
burn Ignite Coal company of Will
ton. Creation of basic market to
permit continued operation of the
Ignite mines as a starting point for
the development Of the industry was
urged by Hans Evesmith Of Fargo,
who declared that the law now on
the statute books requiring use Of
Ignite coal in state institutions
provided it can be used as economic
ally as other coal, was intended to
apply to all public buildings and mu-
nicipally owned utilities.
Organization Formed.
An organization of Ignite opera
tors was formed, with Stanley Wash
burn of the Washburn Lignite Coal
Company president and T. Kraft
of the Beulah Coal Mining Company
secretary. A committee on organiza-
tion was named as follows: F. E.
Dieters, W., P. MacombeFA E. A.
Hughes, Elmer Truax, and J.sF. Sui
Ivan.
The president was authorized to
send a telegram to Secretary Hoover
urging that representative of the
North Dakota Ignite coal operators
association be named on the national
advisory committee to the federal
fuel administration. Mr.. <Washburn
said meeting would be held Au-
gust % to receive the report Of the
committee on organizationA.
"The great assets of North Da-
kota are Ignite coal and her crops"
said Mr.. Washburn. "Your liabili-
ties have been advertised throughout
the east, but have not found anyone
east of Chicago who realizes that
North Dakota is underlaid with 600
billions of Ignite COAL"
Can Expand Industry.
Declaring his belief that the lig-
mite industry in North Dakota could
be expanded within a few years to a
production of from three to five mill
lion tons as compared to an approx
innate capacity of 100000 to 100000
tons at present, Mr.. Washburn urged
operators to join in common ef-
fort. A market can be created, he
asserted, which would consume ca
pacity production Of every mine now
operating in North Dakota. Minne-
sofa, he held, was the best field for
expansion of Ignite sales.
Governor Nestos, who attended the
conference, said that he had found
in the eastern part of the state a
great deal of misinformation con-
? cerning Ignite and its uses. North
Dakota has not only the problem this
year of helping to relieve fuel
shortage but also to educate the pub
lie to the proper use of Ignite coal.
eve must have market in North
Dakota first" said the Governor. IF
every person in North Dakota will
use Ignite coal you all could be
working day and night, but beyond
the increase in consumption in North
Dakota there is the opportunity to
extend into Minnesota and South
Dakota"
Mr.. Washburn, asserting that all
railroads in the Northwest should
use Ignite coal, said that Samuel
Vauclain, president of the BALDWIN
Locomotive Works, had written let
ter in which he guaranteed to build
locomotives that would use Ignite
economically and we'll. Other opera
tors told of experiences of bakeries,
creameries and threshing outfits in
using Ignite coal, stating all had
been successful. .
Good for Threshing
]. W. Deemy, ,Nels Nichols and 9TH
ers asserted that there was no need
of importing coal for threshing out
fits, as many threshers had used lig-
mite for years successfully.
The production figures of Ignite
coal were brought into question. The
1921 report of the state mine inspec-
tor showed a production of $4,000
tons i'm North Dakota. Opinions OF
operators varied considerably.
Price to be charged this year was
subject of discussion, Chairman Mil
hollan stating he understood that
one of the duties of the railroad COM
mission as fuel administrator was
to watch prices of coal under the di-
rection of the national fuel admins
tration.
Talk on Price
Hans Evesmith, Elmer Truax and
other operators asserted that Ignite
operators did not want to and would
not profiteer. He called attention
to the fact that the Ignite industry
is a pioneer industry, and said oper-