Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-05-26 | Page 38 | Coal Famine next Winter Feared in East

COAL FAMINE NEXT WINTER FEARED IN EAST Senator Reed Warns Warns of Grave Peril Peri in Lack of f r Transportation w I Warning of or another coal famine Amine tm un th the government dispose eK of the Uie I transportation problem wn was Il given n in StLouis st Louis Loui by Senator James A. A ne Reed Heed of MI MIs Missouri speaking before ames the Mississippi c tt valley ley waterways convention Senator Senat r Reed who ho conducted the tho senate Investigation into the coal la last shortage e of or lit t fall fail fal laid th the blame on poor transportation tion ton and said sid that similar conditions will wi arll arly this fall fail fal unC unless unies 8 quick quid action is 13 taken The Thc coal of or 1917 was the lie direct result of lack of transportation facilities I t ties Senator Reed said ald The Thc Inability of or the railways to cope with wih tho the situation situa allua tion ton Is IR no longer open to debate Last winter with the country countr freezing for tho the want of coal mines did not run rn at nt an average of more than 65 per pcr cent of or their capacity because there were not cars enough to haul the tho coal cOli away from front the mines The latter later condition away was wM ag aggravated ag agra ra b by fool foolish h order orders Issued suti W times b by the government and sometimes b by railroad officials I r do not like to tell tel a discouraging tale but the fact Is Is that while demands for coal for manufacturing purposes purposes' are constantly constanty Increasing while our war I demands are aro requiring that factories shall be blazing night and day the production production production pro pro- of oC coal mines for this season ha has haa hasben been ben actually less than for the corresponding corresponding corre come season eason of or 1917 Part o of this may be charged charred to tho blunders of ot the fuel uel administration but but the tho major portion is Ie due to a lack hack of ot I transportation Unless a n speedy lac remedy i be devised our Industrial activities will willbe wl he be seriously curtailed arid and may be tho the cU of or a disaster upon the western front Plainly It Is the therefore I duty of the government to do two things thing and arid to do them at once and at the tho same tame time It should Increase e the efficiency of or the railroads b by every er means In Its Us power and it should place boats and bar barges es upon the great inland waterways of oC the country countr This can be done virtually without Interference with wih the production of oC railroad equipment or with the production of or war supplies The TIme total cost of oC seven towboats and fifty steel bar larges eg Is estimated at Tho The war Is costing a 3 day If I we fl figure fig rc a day da- of eight hours that Is 19 an hour The cost of or this war for one hour will wi almost place on an efficient erI er- er effi effi- dent cent boat bat and barge large line upon the Mis Mis- ls I