THE COAL srri .\r/(}.\ /.\ rni-. i \rri:n s/wrh's 



1)9 



would not lie slml down. Tlir >ii n.it ion 

 w;is opccinllv Mi-tilc in New hjii:l;ind, 

 Ohio. ;ind .M idiiiiaii. and iil i lie cii ic> of 

 W'ashiiiiiion. NCw ^■o|■k, ;iiid ( liicii^o. 

 WliciU'v I'f a cax' aro>c, liowcxci', m 

 wliirli it ao|UiiiT<l thai there \\a> ncco- 

 sity for ininu'(liatc' actit)n in ortK'i- to 

 rclii'vc tlio coal shortage to krcp iiuhis- 

 trv in oi)C'ration, there was diveiicd a 

 sullieient amount of fncl to prcxcnt ac- 

 tual cessation of industi-y. As illu>li'a- 

 tive of the sort (d' aiiion nccosary to 

 meet loi-al needs, it may he said that all 

 the coal mined on Oetolier ;^9 in west- 

 ern Pennsylxania. Ohio, ]\Iiehigan. 

 eastern Kentuik\. and West A'irginia. 

 was diverted to ()hio and Michigan for 

 distriltution to liiuL-chohlcrs. This sus- 

 pended for one thiy the priority order 

 under which coal was to go to the lake 

 ]>orts. 



To inerease the eMicieney of the cars 

 of the I'aili'oails and to increase the pro- 

 }>ortion of tJ'ans])ortation by water, it 

 was announced on Xovember 7 that the 

 formation of the '"Tidewater Coal Ex- 

 change"" had been approved. This ex- 

 change requires all shippers of coal to 

 New England, Baltimore, and Hamp- 

 ton Eoads to work through this ex- 

 change. This pooling of coal and clas- 

 sifying of grades should result in very 

 greatly increasing the efficiency both for 

 cars and for vessels, since there may be 

 prompt unloading of the .cars to any 

 vessel which may be available. 



On Xovember 12, in order to relieve 

 the situation in Xew England and to 

 accunnilate coal in advance, it was or- 

 dered that all mines having contracts 

 for Xew England coal should ship 

 maximum amounts for consumption to 

 the states of Maine, Massachusetts, 

 Vermont. Rhode Island, and Connecti- 

 cut. Thus it became possible in Xo- 

 vember to begin the accumidation of 

 coal in the central and eastern states, 

 and this accumulation went on rapidly 

 after December 1. 



Another aspect intimately associated 

 with tlie coal for the United States is 



thai ro|-('anada. I n con>e(|Uence of t lie 

 ihl'calencd -hol-|;iL;c ill ihe I'luted 

 Slale>. and especially because of the 

 fa<t that there had not been accumu- 

 laled coal a! ihe upper lake porl>. on 

 Sepieiiiiier 1 1, ilir fuel Adiiiini>l ratof 

 re(piested the l"]\po|-|- Ad in i nist rat i\ c 

 i'>oaid lo allow no c(jal to he exported 

 on! of the Inited States without spe- 

 cilic 1 iceiiM'. ( )ii ( )ctober 1 . export at ion 

 <d' fuel to ( 'anada wa- pi'oliiliiled lo 

 dock conipaine> ami all prodiicei> and 

 jol)l)ei->. ('oal on the way to Canada 

 was diverted to ihe |,ake Krlr port> for 

 tran>mission lo the upper lakes. 



it \\a> no! the intention, ho\vever, to 

 pri'\eiil ('auada from having an ade- 

 (piaie >upply of coal; on the contrary, 

 it is the puipose to furnish coal to that 

 country on the same basis that coal is 

 furnished to the states. Since the out- 

 put of the nunes probably will be about 

 ten ])er cent more than last yoai'. the 

 plan is to supply Canada during the 

 rest of the year at a rate not to exceed 

 ten per cent more coal than was ex- 

 ported to her last year. 



The United States is not the only 

 country which has been confronted 

 with a fuel problem during the war; 

 indeed the same problem has confronted 

 e\'ery country engaged in the war, and 

 far more seriously than the United 

 States. Of these countries, England 

 has the larcest supply of coal. The 

 government took control of all the coal 

 mines in the United Kingdom, the 

 owners operating the mines. The cost 

 of production is supervised by the gov- 

 ernment. Thus, for tlie most impor- 

 tant element ill the cost, that of wages, 

 all ai'i'angements between the miners 

 and the Ojierators must be approved by 

 the go\'ernment. The niaxiiiium ])rofits 

 on coal are limited. The government 

 requirements are given priority in the 

 distribution of coal and the allotment 

 of coal cars. There is a fifty per cent 

 excess jirofit tax on the profits of the 

 nunes over those of Die two best years 



of i!)ii, 1012, and i:M;;. 



