OCR Text |
Show END OF THE JEATLESS MONDAYS III Al CUT Director General McAdoo Mc-Adoo and Fuel Administrator Admin-istrator Garfield Hold Conference and Issue Statement; Will Reach a Decision Next Tuesday. Tues-day. EFFECT OF ORDER NOT YET KNOWN Big Department Stores ."ncf Commercial Interests In-terests Generally Vig-"-sQusly Opposed to Closing; Coal Problem Prob-lem Largely One of Transportation. WAgFTXGTQy, Feb. 1. Abandonment of the heatless Monday programme after iu enforcement next Monday was predicted pre-dicted tonight at the close of a. prolonged pro-longed conference between Fuel Administrator Adminis-trator Garfield and Director General McAdoo. Mc-Adoo. A final decision was not reached and a farther conference will be held Tuesday, Tues-day, but there was every Indication that fcoth officials, 23 well as President 'Wilton, 'Wil-ton, who has been consulted, feel that the purpose sought can be accomplished from now on by continuance of preferential prefer-ential coal transportation and distribution distribu-tion and by railroad embargoes now in force. Joint Statement Issued. At the conclusion of the conference tonight to-night the following statement was Issued jointly by Dr. Garfield and Mr. Mc-Adoo. Mc-Adoo. "We have had under consideration the Tiestion of suspending after Monday next the Monday closing order.' V7e have ot reached a final conclusion about it. e shall have another conference on Tuesday next when the results of the Vday closings and of the railroad cm-fcarjvup cm-fcarjvup to that time can be fully considered, and shall be able to make an announcement next week as to whether wheth-er or not a suspension of the Monday closing order may be made." Ten heatless Mondays were decreed by the fuel administration January 17 as a measure to save coal and to relieve railroad transportation. Next Monday will be the third observed. The Monday holidays were . preceded by a five-day industrial in-dustrial shut-down, at the close of which eastern railroads at the direction of Di-renor Di-renor General MoAdoo, put on embargoes embar-goes against the movement of general freight. Vigorous Opposition. Tne Monday closing has brought the moH vigorous opposition from commercial commer-cial interests, particularly the big department de-partment stores, the small stores, too, baye opposed it, as have the owners of office buildings. Theaters succeeded in having the day as applied to them, rnanged to Tuesdav. It was stated officially tonight that f-e reaaori a final decision waa not J"'ached was because complete reports ave not as yet been receivd, showing "".exact rults of the five-day closing, and the effects of operation of the em-goes em-goes to date. Both Mr. McAdoo and -T. Garfield are of the opinion, however, KaH, that since the coal problem '' largely one of transportation, embargoes embar-goes will bring results without contlnu-a"cs contlnu-a"cs of the Mondav closings. Nitre davs1 enforcement of the embargoes, it Is said, "as improved the situation as much as 0'Hd have an observance of nine heats' heat-s' Mondays, although bai weather conditions con-ditions have slowed up coal movementsj Preferential Order Stands. 'he fuel administration's . preferential '"ir calling for the distribution of coal t0 householders, shlpa. public Instt-J-iotjs and favored war industries, will nd as well, as will the railrond arlmtn-watlon's arlmtn-watlon's order giving preferential rail "'"ntrit to coal and food. These two 5 oeit is declared, will giiarantee coal i'-""""'" which the government Is .-termined to se supplied, although the e.s essential industries are expected to (Continued on Page Two.) EID OF THE MESS MONDAYS IfJ SIGHT (Continued from Page One.) suffer and some may have to close down. Officials make no secret of the fact that had rail embargoes been declared in the first place the industrial closing order would not have been issued. The embargoes em-bargoes were placed at the urgent request re-quest of the fuel administration, which contended that the effects of the closing order would be nullified by weather conditions con-ditions unless the step were taken, Hampers Operation. , Officials of the railroad administration believe a return of good weather will speedily restore the transportation system, sys-tem, and that this will solve the final problem. They say that the Monday closing clos-ing has disorganized industrial activities and actually has hampered railroad operation opera-tion by making it impossible to load and unload cars promptly. Fuel Administrator Garfield has not been ready to revoke the closing order, despite the great amount of pressure brought to bear by commercial interests, until assured that the embargoes would be continued. Since he now has this assurance as a result of the conference today, he is prepared to rescind the order if reports from state fuel administrators show that the closing already effected had served its purpose. At a conference here next Monday of thirteen state fuel "administrators, called today, Dr. Garfield expects to get complete com-plete Information on the coal situation and to learn the exact effects of the closing order. |