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Show FORD CLOSING PLANTSTODAY Peeved at Prices, Millionaire Million-aire Throws Thousands Out of Employment DETROIT. Mich., Sept. 16. (By the Asoclated Press ) As a protest against paying what he believed to b" exorbitant prices for coal and steel, H nry Pord today began the process of closing up his huge Industry "With the suspension complete when the last shift of workers leaves the various va-rious factories tonight, approximately 100, 00n men will have been rendered Idle for an Indefinite period Plants affected lnclud tho five factories In the Detroit area and numerous assembling as-sembling stations throughout the countrv. Other concerns, the output of which goes chiefly to the Ford company, com-pany, also are expected to suspend operations. op-erations. In announcing the contemplated closing several weeks ago. Mr Ford declared no coal shortage existed that brokers held enough coal to supply the needs of the country and that the public was belnp 'gouged" by the dealers deal-ers He nlpn criticised government agencies for the method of apportioning apportion-ing coal. NO CHANGE PIiANNED The past week brought some Improvement Im-provement In the fuel Situation Ford officials asserted Friday, but thin. th - said, Will nut warrant a change in the suspension orders. The first layoff of men occurred last midnight at the River Rouge bl.ist furnaces, where about 18.000 are employed. When shifts were changed the workers turned In their tools nnd were told not to return until un-til notified of a resumption of operations. opera-tions. Two thousand men are to be retained at this plant, however, to attend at-tend the coke ovens which cannot be alowed to pool. At the Highland Park plant the night shift went to work as usaul, but completion of the night's work brought the same notlci- us the steel workers. The day and night forces were to be fhecked out in a similar manner. Approximately Ap-proximately 40,000 men are employed ut this plant. OTHEK FACTORIES CLOSE The remainder of the workers affected af-fected are employes of the Dearborn factor, the Ilncoln plont, a factory at Xorthville and those In cities outside out-side of Michigan. Most of the factories fac-tories likely to be affected by the closing clos-ing of Ford Industries, through the loss of their chief market, are located In Detroit or nearby Michigan cities, since deciding to close his factories, Mr Ford ha held dally i (inferences with his executives in an efort to solve the fuel and materials problem, hut in every market considered, ho said, he found prices higher than he believed th y should be. The rail strike cut off fuel supplies from the Ford mines in Kentucky and transfer difficulties prevented shipment ship-ment of coal from other non-union fields over the Ford ruilrond, the Detroit, De-troit, Toledo & Ironton. This led to charges by Mr Ford that the federal fuel administration was not functioning function-ing as it should and that the Interstate commerce commission had failed to meet the rail and coal crisis. There was no alternative, the ma nifacturer declared, but to "pay profiteering prices " Rather than do that he declared, he would ' keep the plants closed Indefinitely." |