The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-08-28
ALL FORD PLANTS
TO Be CLOSED
Will Shut Down Sept 16 Be.
cause OF Goal Shortage
LOSS OF JOBS FOR 10000
Hundreds of Thousands in Allied In
dustries Will &c Seriously Affected
Regrets Taking Action.


Detroit. Aug. 2S.--Onr hundred ant
five thousand employees of The Forl
Motor company throughout the country
will be without jobs after September
16
In addition several hundred thou
sand other workers employed III in
duStrieS furnishing materials for the
Ford plants will be affected.
Henry Ford gave these figures II
announcing that his three big motor
plants located in Detroit suburbs ant
his assembling plants throughout tEs
country would be closed on that datf
because of the coal shortage.
The announcement was the most So
we're blow that industrial Detroit has
sustained since the Industrial dppres
sion Of TWO years ago. 1t means, dc
colding TO Ford, that 10000 men EN-
played in the Highland Park. River
Rouge and Dearborn plants of the
company here will he without work
Thirty thousand others now working
in the various assembling plants scat
;ered throughout the entire country
also will be thrown out of employ
ment.
How long the machinery in the Fore
plants is 10 be StiIleG Vii depend en-
tirely upon the Goa! supply of the III
ture. the Detroit manufacturer sad
The Statemel, :><;cd ny Ford. IN
nuuncins: the proposed Shutdown, WI:
The stor.;' OF h;S l0Si!: fight during tie
LIST few months To insure IA fuel sup
: ~ sufficient Ia keep his workers. ii
their machines.
Ford declared he had not the re
hottest idea" when the plants could bt
reopened 1t was announced that tn,
normal daily consumption of coal il
the Ford Industries was $500 tons. ant
although declining to state the amoun
on hand at this time. Officials said i
would be possible 10 do 40 more thai
keep the furnaces and ovens warm
Only Il comparatively small numhe
of the employees of the Ford plan
will be retained in service during IT,,
shutdown. ii was announced. Crew
sufficient TO keep the furnaces warn
will be held, however.
FordS statement follows:
THE coal situation has become i'm
possible. For the last several week
we have seen Il situation apprOachin:
that we feared would force us to close
We greatly regret having to take tia
step.
"Edsel Il. Ford, precedent of IL,
motor company, and l returned from
our eastern trip, and with every pos
sible data and information hearing q
the subject before rs. we strove uni
almost daylight trying 70 find som'
way out without closing down
Every way we turned we We're con
fronted by the situation that ~nde
the present handling of coal Their,
never would be time when we woult
have enough coal to operate the sew
eral departments of the plant stimuli
taneouSly
I'VE therefore decided that of neces
sity we must close down sooner o
later We wish to keep enough Goa
on hand to keep our furnaces and COX,
ovens warm; to let them get colt
would cause US a loss of hundreds o
thousands of dollars. At the rate W,
are getting coal now, September l,
will mark the time when we will hav,
only enough coal left to keep our fur
naces and ovens warm.
'Our reserve stock by that time viii
have been completely exhausted. w,
on September 16.
1--WE have wired 900 houses tina
supply us with material to stop ship
ment, and letters and kilograms wer
later sent to about 1000 more.
1--WE appreciate the great loss it vii
mean to these hundreds of suppl,
houses. but it also will Tean a tire
mendouS loss 10 us. At present w,
are producing 800 cars day and w,
can sell $500 day. We have to clos
ut time when we are doing create
business than ever before in our his
tory"
Effect of the Ford shutdown will b.
felt on industry in every part of III
country, according to officials of TIL
company. The number of workers EN-
ployed by firms supplying the For
company With various parts and raw
materials, including iron amt steel
was variously estimated as from "sev
eral hundred thousand TO 100000"