Evening star., 1934-07-15
EMERGENCY PLANS
FOR SUPPLIES LAID
Committees of Citizens Are
Planned for Use in Re-
lief Work.
ROADS TO BE PROTECTED
New Violence Is Reported as
Railroad Switchman Is
Killed in Portland.
ROADS TO BE PROTECTED
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, July l4.-With
food supplies running dangerously
low, and a famine panic threatened.
San Francisco took on just-before-
the battle aspect today while labor
committee voted on a general walkout
of all union labor in support of strlk-
ing Pacific Coast maritime workers
and longShOremen.
Milk trucks continued to enter the
city, but their continuance was a
matter of question.
DR.. j. c. Geiger said the city insti-
tutions had enough fresh food to last
over the week end but did not know
where further supplies would be OBJ
tainable A. Community Chest COM
mittee formulated plans to serve the
INDECENT sick in various institutions.
Plead for Food for Sick.
Mothers, friends and relatives OF
patients in other institutions were
reported beseeching authorities for
assurance that their loved ones would
get milk and other fresh food.
A central service station was set up
to provide the Police, Fire and Health
Departments, as well as hospitals and
physicians with gasoline and fuel oil.
Big trucks placarded with emergency
service signs and conveyed by heavily
armed police carried gasoline and oil
to this station.
The capacity of all hospitals in the
city. exclusive of the big Marine Hos
pital and Letterman General Hospital
Army and Veterans Bureau) Is ap-
proximately $500 beds, and these gen.
orally are about 10 per cent full. This
indicated about l,750 patients at pres
ent The government hospitals had
army forces at their disposal to get
supplies.
Warned Of Plague
Union drivers continued TO operate
garbage wagons under an emergency
arrangement. DR.. Geiger said the
service had been slowed down some
what because of a gasoline shortage.
The central supply situation was ex-
pected to rectify that situation. Geiger
previously had talked warningly about
"bubonic plague" and ''an epidemic of
rats" in event garbage was mt re-
moved.
Reports that thousands of persons
were leaving the city were not borne
out by an exhaustive check-up. Trans
portation agencies said departures
were balanced by arrivals. The hur-
ried exodus from the city yesterday of
5000 knights Templar after winding
up their tri-ennial national conven-
ton on schedule made the outward
movement abnormal for a time only.
Downtown traffic Shrank to a mere
trickle, however, as gasoline became
almost a precious liquid. Garages
we're cluttered with stored cars.
The mayors of a half-dozen east
bay cities met today and took steps
to safeguard food supplies in their
communities. They issued joint
statement, outlining plans for food
distribution.
Committees Planned.
Plans involve setting up Regional
Food Committees, with submits in
each block. Citizens were asked to
be ready to serve on the committees.
to conserve their gasoline for use in
food distribution by automobiles. to
keep calm. disregard rumorS and be
ready TO act quickly if called upon
for relief work.
Gov. Merriam'S orders to the high
way patrol to help keep open the roads
for food trucks we're in line with his
previous avowal to see that food and
other necessities moving into the
strike-throttled city would be pro-
tected against violence.
The Governor indicated he would
expect the San Francisco police to
guard incoming supply trucks within
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