The New York herald., 1922-08-27
l6, Entailibg 1Vnge
Loss of S2,a GJ 99a
4 Wee
WALL STREET BLAMED
Detroit Motor Capitalist As
serts Money Barons Grip
pie Industry.
WALL STREET BLAMED
MENACE OF A CIVIL WAR
He Believes People Will Com
pei Financial Interests to
Surrender.

surrender.
Special Dispatch TO THE NEw YORK HERALD
DETROIT. Aug. 26.--An announcement
was made to-day, backed up by a
statement from Henry Ford. that ali
his industries in and around Detroit
will be shut down September 16 for
an indefinite period because of the lack
Of coal to continue operations after
that date.
kilograms have been sent to Ford
agencies in all parts of the country
stating that the plants would close or
the date named
Tho shutdown means that all three
plants of the Ford Company will be
idle. putting about $1,000 men out of
work. With the assembling plants
spread out over the country, which
will also be closed. this will affect a
total of $4,000 men, strictly Ford en-
ployees and not taking into consider
alton the thousands of others depend
ent on Ford orders. These others rep
resent around 100000 men.
With the minimum wage of nearly
Sc day in the d,rfercnt Besd iaa4s
tries and those animated. the apprc
mate loss ia waE@a eawsed cg tise sFrf-
down viii amount s.ss0e 900 i wecly.
I'm. bfs - Fspa 80 0et
"The sit1Fls0 H
possible" said Mr.. rorc. ~Ior the last
several weeks we have seen a situation
approaching. which We feared would
force us to close. We greatly regret
having taken that step. Edsel and l
returned early from our Eastern trip
night before last with every possible
data and information bearing on the
subject before us, and we strove until
almost daylight trying TO find some way
out without closing down.
Every way we turned we were con-
fronted by the situation that under the
present handling of coal there would
never be a time when we would have
enough coal to operate the several de-
rartments Of the plant simultaneously.
'.We, therefore. decided that Of neces-
sity We must close down sooner or
sater 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 thou
sands OF dollars. At the rate we are
getting coal now September 1e viii
mark the time when VIC will have only
enough coal left to keep our furnaces
and ovens warm. Our reserve stock by
that time will have been completely ex-
rausted We. therefore. will close down
the entire plant on September 16
Last night we wired 900 houses that
supply us with material to stop shipment
and this morning letters and kilograms
were sent TO about 1000 more.
Doing Record business.
1--WE appreciate the great loss It VIII
mean To these hundreds OF supply houses.
but IL will also mean a tremendous loss
to us At present we are producing
$500 cars a. day and We can sell $500
a day. We have to close down at time
when we are doing a greater business
than ever before In our history"
Mr. Ford was asked when he hoped
the plants could resume operations lie
shook his head and said: II haven't the
slightest idea
End Of the coal and rail tieups that
are causing Industrial paralysis Of the
country will not come until the majority
OF the people are cold and hungry
enough TO resort to drastic action. Mr..
Ford said.
Continuance OF these disturbances to
thu economic life Of the nation are due
simply TO the greed and avarce OF Wall
Street dominating the railroads. coal
mines and public utilities OF the coun-
10 ia
would be only y matter OF n few weeks
before industry all over the United
States would throw up its hands In sur
render,
state and national public officials are
Impotent in this national crisis" Mr.
Ford went on, "snd the greed OF the
money barons. who by subsidized agents
control and manipulate the labor unions
of the country. will compel the average
citizen TO force a readjustment.
The menace Of civll war hangs over
the nation to-day. but only 4 few heads
will have to go off before the readjust-
ment Is effected.
Delay for Protection.
But for the fact that Il Is the desire
of the Ford organization TO protect the
people with whom Il has been doing busi-
ness the suspension would he immedi-
ate, the automobile manufacturer said.
Mr.. Ford refused tofestimate the hum
dreds OF thousands OF dollars day II
will cost the Ford organization to re-
main idle beyond pointing out that the
loss IN wages TO Ford employees In the
factories here will approximate $4,000
daily, TO say nothing of the vast amount
that will be lost by the thousands of
workers in plants supplying tho Ford
organization with materials and others
aged in distribution OF the Ford
products.
In explaining further efforts the Ford
organization had made 10 obtain coal
Mr.. Ford called In u X. Rocklcman,