New-York tribune., 1922-08-27
Sept. l6 Set for Shutting
Factories i'm Detroit
and Elsewhere, Making
1O5,OOO Mem Jobless
Many Thousands
More To BE Idle
Business Booming, Says
Manufactures; No Date
Is Given for Reopening

DETROIT, Mich, Aug. 28 (By The
Associated Press).- = One hundred and
five thousand employees Of the Ford
Motor Company throughout the coun-
try will be without jobs after Septem-
Der 16.
In addition several hundred thou
sand other workers employed in indus
tries 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 suburbs and
his assembling plants throughout the
country would be closed on that date
because Of the coal shortage.
Ford Blames Money Barons"
Industry the country over must
"throw up its hands in surrender"
within few weeks, If the rail and coal
strikes continue, MIR. Ford declared.
He held financial interests responsible
for the industrial tie-up, declaring the
money barons" were manipulating the
state and national, were impotent in
the crisis.
The strikes would end, he continued,
when the majority Of the people are
cold and hungry enough to resort 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 util-
tiles of the country"
The deadlock in strike negotiations
indicated, he declared, the existence
Of "a plot to unload the demoralized
and run down railroads onto the gov
ernment at their own price and. to
prices"
$4,000 To Be Idle iSS Detroit
The announcement was the most
severe blow that Detroit has sustained
since the industrial depression Of two
years ago. 1t means, according to Mr..
Ford, that $4,000 men employed in the
Highland Park, River Rouge and Dear
born plants of, the company here will
bo without work. Thirty thousand
others now working in the various as
sembling plants scattered throughout
the entire country also will be thrown
out Of employment.
The normal daily coal consumption
Of the Ford industries here is $500
tons.
Discussing the recent installation of
oil burners in the Highland Park plant,
company officials said the undertaking
was intended only for the machine
shops, and was not feasible in other
units of the plant.
The statement issued by Mr. Ford
announcing the proposed shutdown was
the story Of his losing fight during the
last few months to insure fuel supply
sufficient to keep his workers at their
machines.
Mr.. Ford declared he "had not the
remotest idea" when the plants could
be reopened.
Mr.. Ford's statement follows:
Has Fought for Coal Supply
ssThe coal situation has become i'm
possible. For the last several weeks
we have seen situation approaching
that we feared would force US to close
We greatly regret having to take that
step.
"Edsel B. Ford, president of the mo-
tor company, and | returned from our
Eastern trip, and, night before last
with every possible data and informa-
tion bearing on the subject before us
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 never
would be a time when we would have
enough coal to operate the several de-
partments Of the plant simultaneously
"We therefore decided that of ne
cessity we must close down sooner OF
later. We wish to keep enough coal or
hand to keep our furnaces and coke
ovens warm; to let them get cold
would cause us a loss of hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars. At the rate we
are getting coal now, September 16 will
mark the time when we will have only
enough coal left to keep our furnaces
and ovens warm"
Canceling Material Orders
Asked whether any efforts would be
made to pet coal via the Detroit, To.
ledo g. Ironton Railroad, which hi
owns, Mr.. Ford said every effort hae
been made to get cooperation ane
backing in order to have coal reach
here and that nothing more could BIZ
done.
"Last night we wired 900 houses
that supply US with material to stoE
shipment and this morning letters ano
kilograms were sent out to about 1000
more" Mr.. Ford continued.
"We appreciate the great loss 1t vii
mean to these hundreds of supply
houses, but it also will mean tire
mendous loss to us. At present we are
producing $500 cars a day and we car
sell $500 a day. We have to close
down at a time when we are doing l
greater business than ever before II
our history"