Show GARFIELD GIVES HIS REASON FOR FOA ACTION MOST IMPORTANT TO SEND FOOD AND SUPPLIES ACROSS SEAS H HE E SAYS The Coat Coal oal Needed to Send Them Away Is Waiting Behind the Congested Freight That Has Jammed All Terminals Washington Fuel Administrator Garfield's statement in explanation of his order closing down the thc Industries s east ast of the Mississippi river on January Janu ary nry 18 to 22 inclusive and also on each Monday 1 beginning January 28 and continuing up Tip to and Including March 25 5 follows The most urgent thing to be done dones Is s to send to the American forces abroad and to the allies the thc food and war var supplies which they vitally need War Val munitions food foods manufactured articles of ever every description lying in Atlantic ports In tens of thousands of tons ons where literally hundreds of ships I loaded with war goods for out our men and the allies cannot take the seas because their bunkers are empty of coal coul The coal to send them on their way vay Is waiting behind the congested freight that has jammed all aU terminals Ships Need Fuel It is worse than than useless to bend our energies to more manufacturing when what we have already manufactured hIred lies at tidewater congesting congesting- terminal terminal ter- ter minal facilities jamming the railroad yards ards and side tracks for long distances distances dis- dis ances back into the country No power pow pow- er on earth can move this freight into the war zone where it Is needed until we ve supply the ships with fuel Once rOnce the docks are cleared of the valuable freight for- for which our om men and associates In the war sar now want In vain then again our om energies and power lower may be turned to manufacturing ing ng more efficient than ever so that thata a i steady and uninterrupted stream of vital supplies may be this nations nation's answer answer an nn- to the allies allies' cry for help Excess Production Blamed It has been excess of production in n our war-time war speeding up that has done lone so much to cause congestion on our om railroads that has filled the Ule freight fleight yards ar s to overflowing that has cluttered the locks clocks of our Atlantic ports with goods waiting to go abroad At t tidewater the flood of freight has stopped The Tile ships were unable to complete the journey from our factorIes factories factories fac fac- tories to the war depots behind the firing line Added to this has been the fult fulty of transporting coal for our own domestic needs On top of these difficulties difficulties has come one of the most ter- ter Ibl severe winters we have known In years ea rs Weather Works Havoc The Tue wheels were choked and stopped zero weather and snowbound trains terminals congested harbors with shipping frozen in iu rivers and canals impassable It it was useless to continue manufacture and pl pile pite confusion confusion confusion con con- coni i fusion on top of confusion A clear line Une from the manufacturing ing establishments to the seaboard and be beyond ond that was the tue Imperative need It was like soldiers marching to the front The men In the foremost ranks must have ve room to move moye More than a a. shock was needed to toI tomake I make a way through that t congestion n nI I at nt the terminals and on the docks so that the tue aid so vitally needed by the allies aIlles could ge get through Mines Lie Idle The incidental effect of this transportation transportation trans trans- situation on coal production hits has been disastrous There Is and al always always always al- al ways has been plenty plent of fuel but Itcan ft It can not be moved to those places where It Is so badly needed while railroad railroad rail rall- road lines and terminals are choked Throughout the coal fields scores even hundreds of mines are arc 1 lying Idle hUe because of railroad inability to supply the cars to carry ava away their product Coal mines cannot operate without cars Cars Curs cannot annot be supplied while the lie railroads are le crippled IJ by the present present pres pres- ent freight congestion which I keeps Idle cars I lying ing useless In the freight yards In the past week the production of coal has been disastrously reduced Reports in cases have shown 90 per cent of the mines in III certain fields closed completely for lack of cars This is war I Whatever the cost we must Im pay so that In the thc face of the Uw enemy there can never ne be he the reproach that we held back from doing our full share Tho Those e ships laden With our supplies sup sup- plies lilies of food for or men nien and food for fot- guns must have coal and put to sea |