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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1920)
RED OLOUD, NEBRASKA, OHIEP HOW COAL SUPPLY WAS CARED FOR DURING STRIKE OF MINERS Unclc Sam Set Up His Own Coal Pile as Soon as Strike Began and Kept Replenishing It From Mines Which Continued to Work Nation Able to Last Out the Six Weeks Through Efficiency of Government Control. By BRUCE CLAGETT, Aaslotant to Director General of Rail roads. I lmvp the thought that llio people of the United .Suites would nlte to know how their con I supply was ban died (luring the six weeks' strllte of bi tuminous conl miners, which has .lust come to tin end. This wns the lirst tin-tlon-whle coal rtrlUe the country over experienced, mid therefore the prob lems arising were novel. Necessarily, during the continuance of the Mrlke. the ex not stacks on hand could not be made public at nil times, nlthough as to all vital facts, the public seems to have been kept fully Informed day by day. Uncle Sair set tip his own coal pile lis soon us the strike began and kept replenishing It from the mines which continued to work, but mean wjille the pile was being diminished more rapidly than new supplies were coming In, and before long It became n (piestlon of keeping people warm rather than what Industries should bo continued. Had the strike continued much longer ninny Industries would have had to shut down and people thrown out of work, but on the re stricted basis to which the country finally came and with the part-time production obtained undoubtedly the nation could have "carried on" for weeks longer, If not months. Strike Anticipated. Several weeks before the coal strike began on November 1 Its coming was plainly apparent, and therefore the director general of railroads, Walker IJ. Illnes, consulted with all the re gional directors of rallronds and the principal members of his staff, and decided that If the strike came It would lie the Job of the railroad administra tion to mnke the coal produced go as far ns possible. After thorough dis cussion the plan was adopted of allow ing nil coul mined up to the time of the strike proceed ns billed to consignees on the Idea that once the strike actu ally began the railroads could look nfter their own and the emergency needs of the country by taking ever coal actually on the rails nt that time. Through this method foreslghtcd con Burners were placed In a position to etoro up. The alternative method would hnvo been for the railroads to have begun to buy coal early In prepa ration for the strike, thus keeping -nidi conl out of normal channels. Prior to the strike a very careful purvey of stocks on hand, both of rail roads, Industries and Individuals (as far ns possible) was conducted so that the railroad administration went Into the strike with as accurate knowledge of the coal situation throughout the country as was obtainable. The ad ministration's original survey on No vember 1 showed 2'J,l)00,000 ions of bi tuminous coal on wheels and In rail road storage subject to distribution under the administration's supervision. To this was added the dally produc tion which totaled 1S.S0n.000 tons In November, and of the aggregate the BtockH still avallnble for the .ountry's protection on December 1, 1L.'t0O,6o0 tons and on December 8, 11, -175,000 tons. I'rlor to the strike orders were Is sued by the rnllroad administration to give preference to coal loading, nnd this naturally resulted In hardship on some Industries. The result was how ever, that In the week ended October 25 a total of W.'OO.OOO tons of coal was produced and moved In the United .States, this constituting a record for the country. It took hnrd work by everyone concerned to distribute this enormous amount of coal. Once the strike was on, the production never renflEcd 50 per cent of normal, with the result shown above, viz., that In addition to using the production every day, the stored coal In possession of the railroads was depleted In the Mx ONE OF THE THINGS rVTAV. IKWTO-wuum,, wMmiwKXJ sJ2S$JG3A i;"t ' ''" V I I" ' - .. t """ reTfcHgnijiiii,MwpiiwM j.aM4w :, w.. 3Sw t".wal F-wfc Ft) P ? i mm gS!H I I? ' ii,r : i f I mm imtmMl ? -MfKBSgsrsSBBSgsg9 ,v--c...iwwess',2 My " "Vf f -f'lL W irfAfc, MMMM " 4T-T,ALit .Ar. JW ."SWrSlSllSllSllSBrrssfcJaii-":- rTf . iT !'iviMHRrBM1l&) fHT'yy 9:rzSF'J"r''''murrr iiiimim t mm 'JUu&.&4M..A.iMM,&,i,i"ito'j4i, This In the great terminal In Constantinople of the Bagdad railway which I Urotaed bo large In the schemes of the kaiser for domination of the Hast. tf- week's of the strike from 22,000,000 tons to 11.H75.000 tons. Pile Saved Country. At times during the strike some com plaints were made regarding the hold lug of (his coal In storage and on wheels by the railroads. Without such a storage, however, the country would have suffered much more than It did, and It would have been Impossible to have looked after the emergency re quirements of the parts of the country In greatest need. Throughout the strike practically all of the coal moved was produced In West Virginia nnd Pennsylvania, although some conl wns produced In Kentucky, Alabama and Wyoming mid u few other states. The great central competitive llelds, how ever, closed down completely and out side of the stocks on hand the people In that territory had to depend entirely on the coal from the Kast and upon the coal tu the hands of the railroads to meet just this emergency. At the beginning of the strike coal was delivered freely to all of the ten classes on the fuel administrator's pri ority list, but soon nfterwnrd It was necessary to restrict deliveries to the first live classes, which Included rail roads army nnd navy, together with oilier departments of the government, state and county departments and In stitutions, public utilities, nnd retail dealers, and toward the end of the strike It was dllllcult In some pnrts of the country to meet even these re quirements, due to the fact that princi pally In the middle West the stocks became almost exhausted and It was necessary to depend practically en tirely upon the coal produced In the Kast. The amount which oould be shipped West wns limited, not by car supply, but by transportation facilities and the necessity for moving tills coal West wns one of the reasons for the curtailment of passenger service In all parts of the country, which lint orally led tu some hardships and some complnlnts. With regard to these complaints, n careful survey shows that, taken ns a whole, the country has stood re mnrkably well the restrictions which hnd to be placed. The action of the government dur ing the strike which caused the great est comment wns the placing of restric tions In connection with the use of bi tuminous coal and coke In supplying light, bent and power to stores, ofllce buildings, manufacturing establish ments, etc. These regulations were put Into cITcct by the rallrond admin istration on the advice of the certrul conl committee nnd under nuthorlty of the fuel administrator. They wore put Into effect primarily as a coal con servation measure and because prior to their lssunnce local regulations, some times more stringent than these regu- ! latlons, hail already been laid down in many sections or tne country, rrlor to the Issuance of these regulations the fuel administrator had Issued a re- j quest that coal for light, neat and power be conserved as much ns pos sible. Just as soon as the Indian apolis settlement was reached the at torney general, following out n prior arrangement, Immediately notified the railroad administration, and plans were at once begun to modify restrictions, with the result that within two days I after the strike was feminity ended, i Instructions were Issued to regional di rectors permitting them to remove 'he restrictions as to the furnishing of light, beat and power, and also permit ting them to restore passenger trains which had been taken off as a conl con sTvuMon measure. The receipt of the word from In dianapolis was also the signal for thif releasing of Instructions already pfepured for the turning of empty coul Mis towards mines which were ex pected to begin operation In order to transport the maximum production of all such mines at once. WILHELM COVETED &Y -, J VMULjLUBUU& I-i yHiv.r ...- " J n ; . ' w ,.W.,,,...M w,,WWmmmiWIH tl-WWfca . fU.' .'.-' XA&8 X " V. V. -V. ,C- -XjC -i A KA -uVWAd'i li mil ii . . ZZtaser ?. . ir. .. W8 ViVrt., .AMtfvWbfefwlnfet&iXtaii IxiM tvJ -.., Probably there was never n more unique organization ever set up In the United .Stntes than the central coal committee of the United States rail road administration at Washington, which throughout the strike hnd com plete control over the distribution of coal mined nnd over supplies of conl In storage and on wheels on the rail roads when the miners stopped work. The committee hnd back of It nil the power of the fuel administration un der the Lever act. There was no prece dent to go by. ISelng bound by no precedents, It couhlgo ahead In n coiuinon-sense way and that Is exactly what It did. Harry 15. .Spencer, director of divi sion of purchases of the railroad ad ministration, formerly vice president of the Southern railroad, and a miin of long experience In dealing with coal questions, was given the unenviable Job of handling the situation as chair man of the central conl committee. He fore the strike actually liegan, ho had his assistants all picked, his plans nil made, his orders written nnd every thing prepared to take charge. There fore, the evening of October HI Dr. Harry A. (Jarlleld. the fuel administra tor, who had tendered his resignation months before, but whose resignation hud not been accepted and whose pow ers bad only been suspended, not an nulled, was called back Into service and Issued an order re-establishing control over the distribution of coal, milking the director general of rail roads his agent, and re-estnbllshlnc the priority orders In effect during the wnr. At the same time, nnd to pre vent profiteering, the fuel ndmlnlstrn tor Issued orders re-estnlillshing the government maximum prices on bitu minous coal. The day the strike begnn Sir. Spencer put his organization Into effect throughout the country, and from -then on the problem wns one of distributing conl and looking after the constantly decreasing stock of tho country. On the Job Every Day. Tho committee remained in practi cally continuous session every day of the strike, Including Sundays, nnd ns rapidly as telegrams nnd letters came In, took Immediate action. Hack of this committee and co-oper-ntlng closely with It have been re gional nnd district local coal com mittees, picked In ndvance of tho strike nnd established immediately nfter the strike legun. On these re gional and local coal committees, has fallen a very large share of the-hur-den of handling the coal distribution problems from dny to day, nnd It Is to the credit of these committees thnt they hnve had n minimum of clashes with state or local authorities when It Is appreciated that on these com mittees fell many of the duties exer cised by the fuel administration through the war and when It Is appre ciated that these committees always were limited In what they could do by the stocks of coal on hand, It will be realized that their work was of the most dlfllcult chnracter. One of the chief dlfllcultles In the situation wns the fact that conditions throughout the United States were so widely different that It was apparent that it would be Impossible to dcnl with nil sections of the country alike. Therefore n grout deal of responsibil ity wns left with the regional directors of railroads and wMh the regional and local coal commutes. However, some general principles were laid down Im mediately which were followed In n general way throughout the coal strike. The preliminary rule wns lnid down that no coal should be given to any consumer who had a reserve supply, and that coat should only he given to meet emergency needs. ' Get Reports Daily. In order to nvoid long dlstnnce com munication, the rule wns set up that persons desiring coal should make ap plication on the road ordinarily sup plying them with coal and In order that the central coal committee should be kept constantly supplied with In formation machinery was set up under which each railroad should promptly report to the central coal committee nnd to the regional coal committee the name, title, location nnd telephone nd dress of the representative of that rail road In whom the whole coal question would he centered for that railroad. Summed up, the result of tho handling of the coal supply of the na tion by the government has been thnt with u mobile supply at the beginning of tho strike of 22,000,000 tons of coal at the disposal of the entire country, nnd a production which never reached W) per cent of normal, with cold weath er existing In most parts of the coun try during part 'of the strike, and blizzards In some parts of the coun try throughout most of tho strike, tho nation was able to last out six weeks with very little actual luck of coal by householders, with practically nil pub lie utilities supplied with sufllcleut coal, to meet emergency needs, with very few Industries actually closed down, although many would hnve hnd to close down had the strike continued much longer and with a reserve stock In tlui hands of the railroads at the end of the strike of more than 11,000, 000 tons of coal which was available for emergency rnllroad needs nnd Jor the emergency needs of governmental Institutions, of public utilities and re fullers supplying conl to domestic consumers. CORNHUSKER ITEMS Nowa of All Kinds Gathered From Various Points Throughout Nobraska. OF INTEREST TO ALL READERS Two hundred delegatus representing Nebraska and neighboring stntes, met nt Omaha the other day and-organized the .Missouri Valley Duroc Breed pis' Association. It was said to bo the most Important gathering In the history of the hog-rnlslng Industry of the middle west. The purpose of the vrganlzatlon Is to promote u sentiment among fanners to breed Duroc hogs nnd to urge co-operation of hog rais ers In this part of the country. The state bureau of pardons and paroles has made known that John C. Klllotl, formerly president of the Far mers State Hank at Decatur, who was beutenced to from one to seven years In the slate prison ut Lincoln,. 'on u charge of embezzlement In connection with the operation or the Institution, was released from prison Mnrch 21, lUli), ten mouths after he began serv ing his sentence, upon paper approved by (Governor McKelvle. The consolidated school question will be illscussod ut the meeting of (he Association of Hurul School Patrons to be held In Lincoln, January 22, dining the week of Organized Agriculture. Dining this week, there will also be a poultry show, a fruit nnd Mower show nnd u corn show ul the Commercial club and the university farm. Cheered by their success in reducing the price of 'eggs mid oilier foods members of the Woman's Club ut Lin coln nre planning to attack the price' nf ..T.. 1.1. . mi . . .. . "' tiuiniMK. i ue.v promise to "miiKo luM year's hat and gown do" until prices reach n "sane level." Nebraska owners of slot weighing machines must pay unnuiil licence mid Inspection fees of S.'t Inn liutely, or the machines will bo confiscated and owners subjected to fines. Chief (ioorge A. Williams of the state bu reau or markets announced. Nebraska will be well represented nt n meeting at Denver, .Tnnunry 2(5, called by farm organizations of several western states to devise ways and means to fight the so-called sugur trust. Dr. W. E. J. Oatz of St. Paul Metho dist church of Lincoln has accoptotj the appointment tendered him by the Nebraska conference of the Kpworth league as dean of the Institute, which will bo held In Lincoln. July 2G. Keutrlce Farmers, Union voted In favor of the establishment of a general tore In the city by the Fanners Union Stnto exchange. Three stores of the kind nre to be operated in the tho state. A huge snowplow, which Is pushed by two tractors and pulled by twelve horses, has been constructed by tho Commercial club of Venango for the purpose of keeping the roads open. Licenses were granted during 11)11) to 23,150 Insurance ngents nnd 4C-3 Insurance companies were granted authority to do business In Nebraska by the state Insurance bureau. Several men hnve been arrested in connection with the robbery of the Fanners' State bank nt Heuson, u sub urb of Omuhn, of cash and bonds to the amount or !? 115,000. Nine men nnd one womnn, alleged members of the communist party of America, were arrested at Oninha dur ing the nation-wide round-up of radi cals over the country. Organized agriculture meetings, which will he held In Lincoln Janu ary 11) to 24, are expected to draw the largest crowds In the history of better agriculture. Tho new consolidated school build ing nt Iloliuesvllle. Onge county, erect ed nt a cost of $85,000, has been com pleted and turned over to the school board. The new proposed $S00,0W stock exchange building which wns to be constructed nt South Omaha the com ing spring, will not he built until next year, reports say. It, Is rumored In western Nebraska that the Union Puclfle Is to extend Jls line west from Goring tills year. Tim Smith theater at Tecuniseh bus been leased for meeting quarters for tho local post of the American Legion. Stanley V.. Iluln, Post No. 151 of the American legion, hns been organized nt Hlulr with 47 charter members. Figures compiled by the government nhow that u total of $01:1,025" wns ex-' ponded on' the Lincoln Highway In No braska In 1011). More,thnir $000 has been raised by Ileatrlco citizens to furnish new qujir tcls for the local post of the American Legion. Omnha retained Us position ns the second live stock market of the world, In 1010, bojng exceeded only by Chi cago. Total receipts of cattle, hogs, sheep and horses at the Oniahn market amounted to 8,055,500' head during the year, Had condition of fields throughout Nebraska during tho past two weeks has caused a considerable curtailment of corn picking. Fire of unknown source cuttsed prop erly loss nt Cortland to tho amount of $10,000. Tim building occupied by tho Hank of Cortland nnd a grocery store were destroyed. C. C. Flansburg, Lincoln nttorney; John H. Kemp, Function ; Harry Sack ett, Heatrice, and C. 1), Saudall, York, aro among men talked of as possible candidates for the republican nomina tion for governor. Tho denth of almost 100 persons in ' tho east from drinking wood alcohol since Christmas, hns caused state of ficials to call attention to the fact that hundreds of garages In Nebraska aro violating the state law by selling this same liquid, which Is used as anti freeze In automobile radiators. Par agraph Ji-JM, under Section f of tho luw relating to druggists, specifically forbids any person not u reglsteied pharmacist to sell poison nnd provides a severe penalty for its fracture. F. M. Hidings and K. N. Dion, who were arraigned before Judge Hlauvelt at Thedford to answer to two scpnrato charges, one for embezzlement mid one for conspiring to wreck the Farmers Stnte Hank at Iialsey, which was re cently closed by slate authorities, were placed under $25,000 bond for their appeurunce nt Hie March term of tho district court. Four years ago Hie average salary of rural teachers In ItlclmriNou county wns $52 a month, now It's $70, a report Issued by Superintendent Wllber shows. The Increase Is Inadequate lo meet present prices, lie says, nnd a campaign Is to lie uiiiile for hotter wages. Questionnaires are being sent o'it by the bureau of markets and nuir';etlug In the slate house at Un vin to all co operative companies In Nebraska In un effort to get a due on the amount of money needed to carry on the business of the co-operative companies. William Deckniger, HlehanNon county farmer boy, 11 years old, has demonslruled that cotton can be raised In Nebraska. From the crop raUed In the family garden In 1018, be got the seed to phuit the HUP crop, mid raised 107 plants. "Hull the Knight of the Nation," a song of which both words nnd music -wns composed by William Fell, Unl- , verslty of Nebraska student, nnd c , icated to (leneral Pershing, won tho .. prize ottered by the Lincoln Ro tary club. The big feature of the aim i.l meet ing or the Nebraska Farm Hureini federation ut Lincoln, January 22 tind 2!$, will he the appearance of J. It. Howard of demons, lit., president of the American Farm Hureini federation. The Reel Growers' association of Lincoln county bus appointed a mm mltlee to confer with the Great West ern Sugur Co., In regard to Its Inten tions concerning the building of n sugar beet factory at Hershey. Nebraska will be represented by nn exhibit at thq western potato exposi tion In Denver. January 20, 21, 22 and 2.1, according to Secretary Werner of the Nebraska Potato Improvement us sochitlon. Emergency telephone rates author ized by the State Railway commission for the Lincoln nnd the Hell telephone companies during the war period aro to remain in effect another year. Regular air mall service has been established between Oniahn mid Chi cago. Regular trips are now being niiide, one plane leaving Chicago and one leaving Omnha dally. Forty-eight persons were killed nnd thirty-three Injured In twenty-six Ne brasku railway grade accidents In tho last year, according to the state rail way commission's report. Firemen in ninny towns over tho stnte nre planning to attend the un nuiil convention of the Nebraska Vol unteer Firemen's association at Scotts bluff, January 20 to 22. Adam McMullcn of Heatrice has filed papers with the secretary ojt Htuto for the republican nomination for governor. He Is tlrsf In the Held. Living quarters have become so I senrco at Kearney that new-comers to the city aro told that the only hope of finding a pluco to live is to build. Otuiiha Is making plans for the nn nuiil convention of the National Live Stock association which will be held there February J). The oil well near Children hns been sunk to a depth of 800 feet and pro-, meters of the project believe oil will be found. It is estimated thnt the big potash plants in western Nebraska are turning out 500 tons of tho finished product dully. The annual wolf hunt In Saunders county netted many rabbits but nary a wolf. Over 200 men took part In the fun. Hlds have been let by the village hoard of Venango for the construction of a water system to co.st $27,000. The Young Men's Christian Associa tion if Lincoln voted General Pershlni; a life memher'of the organization. Governor MoICoivte says coal prolU eers In Nebraska are to be prosecuted tmder the Lever net. Steps have boon laken at Hebron to organize n post of tho American legion. Grand Island reports Indicate that unless menus are found by which an Indebtedness of $0,000 Is met, the Hull county fair association nuiy disband. Hetween April 1 and December ill, 1010, fires caused a properly loss of .$'112,001 at Heatrice. During the nine months the city had forty-nine fires. Governor McKelvle lias appointed Judge George A. Day of the Douglas county district court to fill the va cancy lu the siipieine court caused by the death of Judge Samuel H. Sedg wick, at Lincoln. The term expires In 11)22. Herbert M. Hushnell, well known Nebraska newspaper man, founder nnd publisher of the Trade Hovlew, a trade Journal published at Lincoln, died at a hospital in the Capital City. From O'Neill comes tho report thnt a carp canning plant Is to he built there by local men who have been sell ing smoked, dried and salted carp for several years. Nebraska had 1,000 fires lu 1010. Tho loss wns $1,422,011, or l per. cent less than tho year bofore, when It was $2,158,205, according to State v Fire Marshal Hencli. Thousands Have Kidney Trouble and Never Suspect It Applicants for Insurance Often Rejected. Judging from reports from drnjgliti who are constantly in direct touch with the public, there is one preparation that hat been Tery successful in overcoming theie conditions. The mild and healini influence of Dr. Kilmer't Swamp-Root If loon realized. It standi the highest for its remarkable record of success. An examining physician for one of the prominent Life Insurance Companies, ia an interview on tho subject, made the as tonishing statement that one reason why so many applicants for insurance are re jected is because kidney trouble is se common to the American people, and tht large majority of those whose applica tions are declined do not even suspect that they have the disease. It is on sale at all drug stores in bottles of two size, medium and large. However, if you wish first to test tht peat preparation send ten cents to Dr. Kilmer & Co., Uingbamton, N. Y., for s sample bottle. When writing be sure and mention this paper. Adr. Force of Habit. "1 don't wnnt nny moro returned oldlcrs to work on my farm." "Why not? I thought they made gooil workers." They're too good. I set this one to spading up, nnd before I could stop him he hnd dug a front lino trencb across my Held." , ASPIRIN FOR HEADACHE Kama "Bayer" is en Genuine Aspirin say Bayer Insist on "Bayer Tablets of Aspirin In a "Bayer package," containing prop er directions for Headache, Colds, Pain, Neuralgia, Lumbago, and Ilheo mntl8m. Name "Bayer" means genuine Aspirin prescribed by physicians for nineteen years. Onndy tin toxes of 12 tablets cost few cents. Aspirin is trade mark of Bayer Manufacture of Mono acetlcacldester of Sallcyllcacld. Adn Her Delicate Sensibilities. "Why have you broken your enga?t ment with Billy Sands?" "Oh, I couldn't stand for his slang. I tried to put him wise thnt father was sore on the phony talk, bat h couldn't seem to get hep, so I gave him tho razz-dazz." Boston Transcript BREAKS YOUR COLD IN JUST A FEW HOURS "Pap's Cold Compound" Instantly rs lleves stuffiness and distress Don't stay stuffed-up! Quit blowing and snuffling I A dose of "Pope's Gold Compound" taken every two hours un til three doses are taken usually breaks up a severe cold and ends all frripps mlsery. The very first dose opens yout clogged-up nostrils and the air pass ages of the head; stops nose running relieves the headache, dullness, fever Ishness, sneezing, soreness and stiffness, "Pope's Cold Compound" Is the quickest, surest relief known and cost only a few cents at drug stores. It acts without .assistance, tastes nice, contains - no quinine Insist upot Pape'al Adv. The Proper Place. "How would you catalogue these accounts of civil wnrs?" "Why not put thera with polite lit erature?" SHE THOUGHT DRESS ' WOULD LOOK DYED But "Diamond Dyes" Turned Her Faded, Old, Shabby Apparel Into New. Don't worry about perfect results. Use "Diamond Dyes," guaranteed to glvo a new, rich, fadeless color to nny fabric, whether It bo wool, silk, linen, cotton or mixed goods, dresses, blouses, stockings, skirts, children's coats, feathers, draperies, coverings everything I Tho Direction Book with each pack ago tells how to diamond dye over" any color. To match nny material, have dealer I show you "Diamond Dyo" Color Card. Adv. Disregard Desired. "My landlord refuses to speak to me." "So does mine. And I wish he wouldn't write to me, either." "Colil In the Hend" (a an acute attack of Nasal Catarrh. Per sona who nro uubjoct to frequent "colds In tho head" will find that tho use of liALIVS CATAltHH MKDICINB will bCitld up tho Hystem, clennso tho Blood and render thuin less liable to colds. Itepeated attacku of Acuto Catarrh may lead to Chronic Cattirrh. HALL'S CATAima MEDICINE Is tail n Internally and uctB through tho Blood on the Mucousurfacos of the System. All DrueKlsta 75o. Testimonials free. 1100.00 for any case of catirrh that HALL'S CATAMHI MEDICINH will not cure, F. J. Cheney & Co., Toledo, Ohio. Charity may cover a multitude at sins, but greed Isn't one of them." l&j)-M u i3tr$ vrjjJX I y r o Si.