Evening Star Newspaper, July 30, 1922, Page 33

EDITORIAL PAGE NATIONAL SPECIAL ARTICLES PROBLEMS EDITORIAL SECTION The Sundly Stae, Society News Part 2—16 Pages WHAT A COAL SHORTAGE MEANS TO THE CAPITAL Homes Equipped Only to Burn Anthra- cite, Production of Which Has Been Entirely Suspended. BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. OAL to the home owner in the District of Columbia means hard coal, anthracite. His furnace, grates and his stoves are planned to burn hard coal. A break in the supply of anthracite is & severe blow to the people of Wash- ingten, although with the thermometer a0 hovering around degrees in the shade, it may be difficult to realize it. Since April 1 anthracite coal mines have been at a standstill, due to the strike. The production of anthracite coal during the year 1921 réached a total of 80,779,867 gross toms, which measures approximately the sumption, for no very great supplies of coal are kept on hand. It is a commodity that is purchased and used as it is needed. Four Montha of Idleness. From the first of the present vear up to April 1 the first quarter of the year—the production of anthracite amounted to 20,436.000 gross tons. For four months the production has been cut off. It does not require even a mathematical mind to under- stand that there will be tremendous difficulty in making up for this lost time, even after the strike cease: With the hard coal mines working full blast. it will be manifestly impossi- ble to turn out in the next three months —August, September and October—the coal which will be needed to heat the homes of the people who use hard coal during the cold months of nmext winter. Anthracite coal is used to heat the homes of millions of people along the | Atlantic seaboard, and the people 'of New England depend upon it particular- 1y, just as they do here. New England is situated at a greater disadvantage than the District of Columbia, however. due to the distance of the northern states from the mine fields. Taste of Coal Shortages. The people of Washington have had = taste of what a coal shortage means at least twice in the last twenty years. Once in 1902, the great an- thracite coal strike, which lasted from May until the 23d of October, tied things up tighter thap a drum and made it very difficult to obtain coal at any price; and a second time dur- ing ‘the winter of 1917-18, when the war was on. Bitterly cold weather. with unusual snowfalls, ‘the demand for coal for war industries and the difficulties of obtaining cars to haul the coal, made the coal problem Tn Washington, and, in fact, in many parts of the county, a difficult one. There was considerable suffering here and elsewhere. Anthracite coal in Washiugton today is in the cellars of the people—what there is of Mt—except for pea coal. But the dealers are urging the people not to become panicky. An adjustment of the coal strike is hoped for, and the federal government. alrcady has taken steps looking to the allocation of coal as soon | as it begins to come from the mines. Undoubtedly, In Washington, as in other cities, local organizations will be formed to see to the distribution of the coal as it comes here, so that evers aitizen shall have his share. a fuel administration, something like that which had charge here during the war, will be set up. Protection From Profiteers. The government has taken steps also € prevent profiteering in coal at the expense of the people. The wide pow- wrs granted the government under the transportation act, which are being in- woked to aid in the allocation of coal by the government, will be used to the full, it is said. Also, Congress will be in session in December and thareafter, and if additional legislaticn be neces- eary to prevent profiteering, it may be relied upon to take steps to handle the situation. The strike of the anthracite coal sainers in 1302 lasted from May 12 to Betober 23, when the men returned to work after botn sides te the contro- versy had agreed to abide by the de- elslons reached by President Roose- wald's coal commission, which was ap- pointed October 16. The present strike has not run so long by six weeks. But the demand for anthracite coal today is greater than it was twenty years ago. How Roosevelt The Hard Coal Strike in 1902 President Harding's personal efforts to bring about settlement of the rail ana coal strikes whick are threaten- ing to tie up industry and cause a coal shortage next winter have re- called to many leaders in Congress the successful efforts of Theodore Roosevelt to bring together the miners and operators in the great coal strike of 1902 in the anthracite flelds of Pennsylvania. 1t was Roosevelt's successful settle- ment of this strike which earned him the name “wielder of the big stick,” for he literally clubbed the operators fnto submitting to arbitration. The situation In 1902 in many re- spects was similar to the present one except that President Harding also has a rallrosd shopmen's strike to contena with. In 1902 Roosevelt found the ‘miners willing to go half way toward an agreement which might mean an end to the strike, but the operators stood firm. The situation in 1902 was seri- ous before Roosevelt acted. Schools Bhad been closed in New York city because of the coal shortage, and ‘with 145,000 Pennsylvania miners on strike the, price of hard coal had ad- wanced from $6 to §30 & ton, Isolated cases of violsnce caused the governor con- | WASHINGTON, D. C, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 30, 1922. PRESIDENT HAS BORNE THE BRUNT OF STRENUOUS INDUSTRIAL ROW details production of anthracite coal was 53,568,601 long tons, and in the year 1921 the production was more than 80,000,000 tons. The population of ‘Washington has increased very great- ly in the twenty-year interval, and the demand for the coal here neces- sarily is much larger than at the time of the former strike. industrial life” Only Anthracite Affected. When President Roosevelt took hold of the situation and the appoint- ment' of the coal strike commission followed. the mine operators and the mipers had both agreed to abide by | the decisions of a commission to be appointed by him. The strike was confined to the anthracite mines, and the bituminous mines were not closed then, as they are today. The report ot the sirike commission, which was headed by Judge George Gray of Delaware, reads today in many par- ticulars as though it might have been written in connection with the exist- { ing strike. The commission expressed the hope that the strike of 1902 would be the last great coal strike. Very much as the world war was believed by some to be the “last war, the war {to make the world safe from war. I But now, twenty vears later, the coun- try is in the grip of a strike even greater than that of 1902. The fe- port of the commission said it hoped that, during the period covered by its award, “the relations of operator and employe will have so far im- jproved, as to make impossible such a condition as existed throughout the country in consequence of the strike in the anthracite region. “Nevertheless,” the report con- tinued. “the public has the right, when controversies like that of last year cause it serious loss and suffering, to know all the facts, and so to be able to fix the responsibility. In order to to do this power must be given to authorized represeptatives of the people to act for them by conducting tifiable. in each step of the proceedings. * k ok F one, those about him say. demanding that looking to “government,” l 1 | order preserved. Probably ; a thorough investigation into all the matters involved in the controversy.” Same Thing Sought Today. Today Senator Borah of Idaho, chairman of the ‘Senate committee on education and labor, has offered a bill providing for a commission to investigate all matters relating to the coal business. He goes further than this, however. and calls upon the commission to advise Congress as to the advisability of the govern- ments controlling the coal industry through drastic regulatory laws, or “na- tionalizing” the mines. It has been ad- mitted many times that there is some- thing radically wrong with the coal in- dustry in this country. So far no remedy has been evolved by the owners. And now it is proposed that the government take a hand and settle the matter. So far as anthracite coal Is concerned, there is a limit to the supply which is contained in the present fields, and vari- ous estimates have been made as to the ’lenglh of time before the supplies will ' be practically exhausted, ranging from [100 to 200 years. The anthracite fields !are confined almost entirely to Pennsyl- vania, an area of 496 square miles In nine counties of the state. Little Used Before 1820. Until the year 1820 the use of .an- thracite coal for fuel was practically nil, although its use was discovered as in June—“bitter-enders” who would never agree—and the conference failed. But Roosevelt's dander was up. For the first time in labor disputes the publie, that uncertain element so sought after in politics, was to be represented. Roosevelt determined to usurp powers not conferred on him by Congress and name an in- vestigating committee to determine #he cause and remedy for the strike. Asked Cleveland to Ald. Forgetting politics, he wrote to Grover Cleveland, notoriously up- popular with the capitalists because of his handling of the railroad strike of 1894, and obtained his consent to head the commission In mind. The governor of Pennsylvania agreed to call for troops should the necessity arrive, and Roosevelt ordered Gen. John M. Schofield to prepare to act as recelver for the mining properties and operate them, disregarding the wishes of the operators. Next the President chose Elihu Root to bear news of his proposal and the threat for an Army receiver to Baer. Mr. Root called on Mr. Morgan, who in turn informed Mr. Baer. The operators agreed in a few days, but balked at Cleveland to head-the commission. They did not welcome the idea of a general of the United States Army nas receiver for the mines and concessions were quickly in order. The arbitration commis- sion was appointed, the miners went back to work, pending & settlement of the dispute, and’ the commission met here in October of the year of the strike. The President greeted the opening session of the commis- sion with his famous “square deal” speech, the commission was in ses- sion four months and its finding was hailed as a victory by both the strikers and the operators. Letter to Senator Hanna. How Roosevelt at first dispaired of bringing the conflicting parties together is told in a letter which he wrote to Senator Hanna after his rebuff by Baer. He wrote: early as 1768 by ploneers in the Wyom- ing valley, and during the revolutionary war the “black stones,” as the new fuel was called, were mined and used In small quantities. The production for the year 1820 was given as 365 tons. The anthracite industry grew rapldly there- after, and in 100 years has become an enormous business upon which millions of people rely for work and fuel. What the losses will be from the pres- ent coal strike arg still incalcuable. But they will be arswmous, when the wages of the men on strike are considered, the loss to the mine operators, and to the industry of the country. The Roose- velt coal strike commission estimated that the loss to the mines, in 1902, was $46,100,000, and to the workers, some $25,000,000. But these figures will pale into insignificance when the loss from In 1901, for example, the | bituminous mines is totaled. the present strike In both anthracite and " 00 W SRR S R gy teel downhearted over the result, both because of the misery for the mass of the people and because the atti- tude of the operators will double the burden on us while standing between them and soclalistic action. What my next move will be I cannot say. I feel most strongly that the attitude of the operators is one which accen- tuates the need of the government having some power of supervision and regulation over such corporations, I should like to make a fairly radieal experiment on the anthracite coal companies to start with. At the méet- fng today the operators assumed, a fairly hopeless attitude. None.'of them appeared to such advantage as Mitchell, whom most of them de- nounced with such violence and ran- | cour, and I felt he did well to keep his temper. Between times they in- sulted me for nét preserving order and: attacked Knox for not having brought suit against "“the miners’ union as violating the Sherman anti- trust law.” Dealt With \ troops, but the strike was so effective that no coal was mined. Appeals to Roosevelt,~ Powerful financial interests which | also wielded much political power controlled the Pennsylvania mines. They were headed by George W. Baer while John Mitchell, then a rising labor leader, took charge of the case for the miners. J. Plerpont Morgan was among the magnates whose money controlled the mines and th%) transportation eystem. Appeals poured In upon President Roosevelt to act; to selze the mines, to operate them under protecton of federal troops, %ut the President ‘watched the situation carefully and lald his plans. He worked hard for 2 settlement and personally sent his envoys to Morgan, Mitch Finally Morgan ylelded to a proposition of the President for settlement. Mitchell agreed to the plan, but Baer, representative of the operators who resented the Presi- dent’s Interference in the strike, flatly refused to accept the proposal, ‘The President called a conference at the White Hou: The operators re- sponded in a surly mood, somewhat like cosl union leaders in the present Aboard Mergan's Yacht, Stirring scenss took place when Elthu Root was sent to interview Morgan with the Presiden! “b stick” threat to agree to the arbitra- tion proposal or hand over the mines to.an Army dictator. One historian describes them as follows: “In the sumptuous cabin of Mr: Morgan’s yacht Mr. Root went over the whole situation and urged .the financler to -use his influence to end BY N. 0. MESSENGER. HEN history comes o write the of the negotiations Washington over the coal and railway strikes and all the angles are set forth, it is predicted that President Harding will stand out as figuring potentially in one of the most important crises in American The President, with his usual modesty and generous nature, would doubt- less awish to qualify this statement by ad- mitting to partnership im the endeavors members of his cabinet and administration. “Which would be quite creditable and jus- But, after all, the burden rested upon the shoulders of the chief executive and upon him the responsibility of deciding final action The President’s role has been a difficult He has been vir- tually under three fires—besieged by the railway executives and coal mine operators on the one side, by the labor unions, repre- senting the striking railway men and miners, on the other, and all around him the public, “something be done” as personified in the President of the United States to do it. And thete stood the chief executive, neu- tral and friendly as between the conflicting aims, claims and desires of the two belligerent sides, patrisan only, but sternly so, in sup- port of the demand that public welfare, the health and industry of the nation at large, must take precedence of consideration over all else, and the law must be obeyed and He was of open mind, receptive and re- sponsive to the assertions of the contestants engaged in what they deemed a life and death struggle; he recognized justice in the claims of each side, repreifended the obvious injustice and obstinacy of other propositions tenaciously adhered to, and sought to bring compromise and concession from each, all to the end of making effective his contention “AS I SEE IT.” By William Allen W hite. | ! that the object to be achieved was the con- servation of the interests of the public. * % X % Indefinite patience “ with more patience and yet a little more patience— has been the dominating feature of the Pres- ident’s attitude, it is said. He has at no time, it is declared, despaired of bringing the con- testants to a solution of what, at times, has seemed almost an impossible situation. Tt may have appeared to some that after the failure of the conference when he in- vited the coal operators to go back and seek to open the mines, assuring them of pro- tection for all men who desired work, that the President may have given up his under- taking as hopeless and was resolved to let affairs take their course. the case and his policy had a desirable effect. His action served to bring the coal oper- ators, the miners and the public at large up with a round turn to realization of how s and to what depths of catastrophe the situation might be drifting. at serious was the cri * X and rights of the public. other. rights. Note—In publishing this ar- ticle by the brilliant editor of the Emporia Gazette, The Star does not necessarily indorse the views he expresses. But Mr. White brings to the discu: sion of current events a fe tile mind and an entertaining stkle, and a discriminating pub- lic will place its own valuation upon the ovlniou! ks advances. ROBABLY the President will have to abandon his policy of amicable aloofness and take up a ruler’s job. The syndi- jcate of “The Best Mind with which he promised to run the country, is drifting toward bankruptcy. Such a syndicate worked in McKinley's day. But Roosevelt dissolved it, and Taft tried to restore it, while Wilson calmly ignored it. But whatever may be said for or against the policy of gxecutive indifference to the extra- constitutional powers of the presi- dency, the time has come when it will not work. The whirlpool is ahesd. Some one must run the boat. Some one must lend a gulding hand and a directing brain to this country or America will fesl the shock that is rocking the world. We must go back to abnormaley. The menace of two ltl’lkal in the essential industries of fuel and trans- portation is growing. Another month of deliberation, conferences and ds- bate, and the nation will be in a cur- rent of disaster which can be stem- med only with military force. If we have a ruler today we can avold a dictator tomorrow. President Harding is the head of our organized American civilization. Enough moral power lies in the presi- dential office to give him all the ‘weapons he needs to restore orderly commerce and just relations among workers and employers. He needs few faws. There are laws aplenty. He needs a constitutional amendment or two, but In this crisis it will be his for the asking. He aiso needs a pas- sionate sense of the danger of the situation and a oclear, calm, deter- mined voloe to direct the nation In the course of wisdom. It is not that many men about the President are unwise. Courage is needed to do the things which wisdom urges, not be- cause they are drastic, unusual, but simply eommon sense. / Net an Impoasible Problem. EN are entitled to living wages and better, according to their skill. Capital is entitled to a decent interest and more, according to its risks. On top of these two demand: transportation and fuel may be sold to the public for a fair price, It |. not impossible nor even difficuit a body of trained men to find wi t are just wages, fair returns of capital and a reasonable price te the publio Call that court the Supreme Court of Industry ard back it by the nlh.flly like that back of the Supreme Court of the nation. The sale of fuel and transportation requires no great skill. The produc- tion s fairly standarized. Distribu- tion of transportation and fuel, ther fore, is no serfous tangie requiring gigantic intellects to work out its proplems. The President is allowing greedy men in 1abor, In capital and in the distributing agenciss of our es- | election “WMDM* * ¥ His course was justified in the subsequent renewal of efforts to bring the employers and employes together in further confer- ences and to quicken the spirit of compro- mise and conciliation in both sides. Due credit will be given in course of time to the President’s attitude of impartiality as between the contending classes, his only adamantine stand being for the superior was brought to bear on the chief executive by each side for the weight of his influence and action in each side’s behali. As the case stands, it is asserted by those with authority of knowledge of the facts, it cannot be charged by eitHer contending class that the President has unduly favored the And the public knows that he has not faltered a moment in his assertion of the precedence above all else of the public's * kK * ‘What a summer it has been for high offi- cial Washington, with vacations and rest- I | tact—patience, But such was not be left? Tremendous pressure periods gone a-glimmering! Who cannot remember when about this time and in the dog days the “government” at Washington was often so attenuated in personnel that it was represented sometimes by only one cabinet official in town? It was called “holding down the lid” when such spectacles were presented and it was not much exertion for one man, at that. this summer it has taken the entire executive and administrative contingent, all of them, and drawn upon their best efforts and high- est energies to cope with the problems which have been presented. But * K K K _ When these efforts are crowned with vic- tory, as now seems promised, will it not be another case of the efficacy of thte “confer- ence plan,” so notably represented in the in- ternational Washington conference of happy memory and splendid effectiveness? “Gather around the table and talk it over” was the watchword of that memorable meeting, and it is this same spirit which is sought to be in- culcated now. i ) Should the effort fail, what resource would It is admitted that the law has been drawn upon to its full extent without set- tling the strike, casting a doubt upon the efficacy of law to function in future disputes. * * * Thoughtful men in the administration say that out of this affair, up to the present time, has come one feature which will make for security n)lhe future—greater realization by the mass of the people that the interests of the nation must and shall be held para- mount to industrial disputes, with the hope that possibly the parties to these present contentions have a mite of that immutable law of society. If the parties to the trouble have, as hoped, come to even partial suggestion, it is regarded that out of evil will have come good again. full realization of the principle asserted, it is held, will be the safeguard of the future, superior to further attempts at regulation. by the law and legislation. more conception realization of that Ultimate and | | Thosé who have followed the tests 1say that the amalgam process will go The newspapers herald it as “defeat for the old guard.” But what does that mean? Howell is heralded as a “progressive,” which may signify much or little. In a great way How- ell's political location may be slightly to the left of Mr. Beveridge and somewhat to the right of Mr. Frazier of North Dakota. But what does all that signify? What is the; old guard? What is a progressive? What is it that marks the difference between these modern guelps and gibbelines? It is not a creed. Probably the old guard would ac- cept most of the Bull Moose platform of ten years ago—indeed, much of it is institutionalized in law and cus- tom. Probably the progressives would not vote for Mr. Howell or Mr. Beveridge or Mr. Pinchot or Mr. Frazier or Mr. Brookhart. If these men were asked to formulate such a| If the President needs laws to stop: the crime wave of Industry, an appeal to the people would make Congress step lively. If he needs public senti- ment to authorizeaction Inan extraor- dinary crisis, he has but to hold up his hands n.nd it will come. But if he needs courage ke must go into his own heart. But, first of all, he must decide to turn back to abnormalcy and lead the people as their ruler, not as a mere “subordinate branch of the govern- ment.” We can't go back a quarter | creed it would resuit in a pentateuch | of a century. Something has hap-|or a riot. Yet here are two words! pened; chiefly, Roosevelt and Wil- | which seem to have a definite mean- son, and really, “How you goin' keep them down on the farm after they've secn Pareb?” DeWglf Hopper, who has let four wives come into Ais life, and go with %0 queations aeked, mow is resfsting the.history of the Afth. The worm will turn. ing to voters sufficiently distinct for them to get excited about the dif- ferences between the words. The grass roots are stirring. That is all any one knows. The evidence of the primaries distinctly shows that the folks are trying to say something—trying hard, but only in- articulately, to get something off their chests and out of their hearts. - over ar’ l-v Our Remantic Souls. CUBAN poet with a name like a college yell, Gustave Sanchex Galattaga (and may the spelling of it be on the proofreader’s hands), de- clares that he has & “romantic soul.” As 1t that were strange.. Who has not? One of God's precious gifts to than, one of the proofs 'of aur kin- ship with the divine, is the romantic soul of us. Ingidentally, as pcor worms of the dust, living in waste places and treading drab, or even shady, sordid paths, we chage the rainbows, listen for the faiths, hope for the prince and look forever for our lost crystal slippers. Collec- tively, grouped ‘as neighbors, as citles, as states, as nations, as races, we know there is a golden age and hurry forward to meet it in‘ the ever- receding tomorrow. It is the mainspring pf life—this romantic soul of us. No one eyer loses it. If his good sense tells him that the falrles are dead,-the rain- bow & fantasy, theprince a shadow that he never may i adversity or sorrow or poverty or a wicked habit of life make & man cynical and stifie his hope, still down deep in the heart of him is the conviction that he was cast for & grand and beautiful role, but missed his cue or forgot his part, And with that con- viction comes the consoling faith that some one beloved near him—chiid or friend—will prance througn life in the part he missed. \ Without the romantic soul man would soon be going on all fours. ‘With some ofsus, like the Cuban poet, the remantic socul flowers in gracetul voice, with others it.turus into secret hopes and with a few it glows in beautiful lives. But the root of all our lives is set in an that - aspir: te noble under-soul things. The “Wet” ladies’ organizetion— and mam no femals person, who likes her toddy e anything less than o lady—is called the Molly Pitcher Olud, Pitcker -t _good. - But ‘why nog ‘Prissy Pail or Katy Ken or Betty Bucket or the Heitie Hoook Chid? What Is & Progressivel B. HOWELL of Nebraska was .p.unudl_zumunflxury . i What is it? Is it dissatisfaction with Harding? That's the easfest answer, but probably not all the truth: Is it discontent with the times? Maybe that is in it, but that surely is not all. Do these progressive victors know? If 0, they are sensationally silent Nebraska has spoken the language of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Dakota. No one can translate it Some day It is some sort of “mene, mene, tekel upharsin.” It sounds like jargon, but some one knows Instinct- ively what it means. Of old we call- od the man with the understanding heart a prophet. Now we call him & progressive. But both are subject to change and martyrdom without no- tice. Chile and Peru settled their differ- ences in Secretary Hughes’ officeina few hours the other day, and they Rave been hitting one another for ten vears. That’s the place for Jim Read and Wilson. The Editor Rules. HE illness of Lord Northoliffe af- fects the politics of England and perhaps the history of mankind. He is one of the ten powerful men In Europe and fairly well up thy lst. The fact that he often makes bad use of ‘his power does not argue that he has no power, His power came to him partly though not entirely, mor perhaps chiefly, because of his own ability, but somewhat because of the geog- raphy of England. Every one in the British islands can read a London paper before bedtime the day of its publication. Bo ene paper can domi- nate the land. England had to have a Northcliffe in the very nature of things. He got ontrol of the domi- nating newspaper and impressed his will upon England, «But tho success of Northcliffe springs from a deeper cause than the geography of the tight little island. Lord Northcliffe is a system and a symbol of the state of the world, which we are pleased to call progress. Northcliffe is a poWwer because ‘the peopie read. He is a baron gathering his minions by the millions, because he was smart enough to buy a prlnt- ing press. -f)mhm-rul«lbmmm" NEW PROCESS- TO SAVE COAL-MINING WASTES Also It May Help Make Up Fuel Shortage in Washington and Elsewhere This Winter. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. ANUFACTURE of an efficient, 1 economical, plastic fuel through a combination of coal found in the waste from the coal flelds and from the rafl- road, municipal and industrial ash pile, with the waste from the oil flelds, through'a simple, quick and cheap process, is interesting govern- ment technical experts, industrial en- gineers and coal operators. The product is “amalgam,” which has been manufactured and tested on a commercial scale and stood all tests. 2 long way toward removing the un- economic and physical causes for the recurrent coal problem. Herbert Hoover, who is President Harding’s right-hand man in the coal strike situation, made elimination of waste in industry the very corner stone of his organization for making and keeping the United tates pros- perous. In a recent article, the writer quoted officials of the bureau of mines regarding “the fuel of the future”— | and was told that a gas age is com- ing, when science will find a way to remove all the valuable oils and tars from coal before it is burned under the bojlers, thus cutting out a great economic waste. President Harding told the Wash-; ington correspondents the otM&r day that he believes one of the important | steps in solution of the coal problem | will be to provide storage facilities. Fits {n With Program. Amalgam seems to fit in_exactly with all of these forward-looking | opinions of great economists and | technical experts, who are studying the general welfare. The future of amalgam in no way considers driving the coal operators out of business or taking work from the coal miners, or taking either side in their industrial scrap. The coal problem is caused prirci- pally by the fact that it has been unable to store bituminous (industrial) coal— consequently the mines could not oper- ate the vear round, and so could give only intermittent emplcyment. By the | establishment of an amalgam coke plant at a mine all of the waste could be used, automatically eliminating the cost of haulage to the dumps of impure lignite, anthracite culm and slack or screenings. All of the valuable coal tars and oil could be recovered from | this waste and a high-grade coke made. Continuous operation, steady employ- ment and lengthened life for the mine would result. ‘This process has come out of the gov- ernment hb«nlorle-—lt ‘was worked out In the bureau of standards and tested In three stations of the bureau | of mincs. It has passed through a suc- cessful commercial test. A plant where | three men can turn out 500 tons a day is in operation at the Virginia ship- building plant in Alexandria, Va. 5,000 tons have been turned out while the machinery was being perfected. Being Used In Washington. The product is now being used to run the Alexandria and the Hyattsville gas plants. It is being used in several office buildings and hospitals in Washington. There are more than 500 customers on the' books and more than 1,700 orders have been filled. Six huddred people in Alexandria used the amalgam fuel last winter. The actual performance of amalgam | in the furnace has been most satisfac- | tory. Take the Hyattsville gas plant| as an illustration, and remember that President Humphreys of the Stevens ! Institute of Technology, one of the! greatest gas experts in the country, is| the principal owner of this plant. Man- | ager Edward C. Bucklin was in desper- ate need for coal. He got 200 tons of amalgam, which he mixed in about equal portions with regular gas coal. He has kept a record which shows he has reduced his “charge,” or amount of | fuel, about 20 per cent, increased his production about 20 per cent and got a richer gas snd a better quality of coke. This record has been studied by the consulting engineers for the Washing- ton Gas Light Company. Thus, it would seem, that the amalgam process should lead to a reduction in the price of gas to the consumer. To Be Tried in France. So much by way of a glimpse at what has actuzlly been done in the nature of a commercial test. But tnis new plastic fuel process, which is ab- solutely without cinder or ash, is not confiied to a little plant in Alexan-! dria, even though there is space on About | the present site to enlarge that plant one hundred fold. Other subsidiar: corporations are to operate plants all | gpje. A plant I8 to StArt | jties say that coke is to be the “fuel operation next weelk in the coal fields | of the future,” this is vastly fm- | portant. over the world. of northern France, run by a combl nation of coal concerns and rajlroad: interests is now In Washington and has been with Walter B. Trent, met- alurgical engineer, during all tests of amalgam. Other corporations have been formed or are being formed in Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Csechoslovakia, Indis, Bn,m and other countriel “The Alexandria plant will treat next week 100 tons of & low-grade Brasil- fan coal shipped to it by the Bra- zilian government. Engineers will watch the manufacture of amal- gam from the Brazilian coal. TWis| coal has heretofore been practically worthless because of the high per- centage of impurities it contains. It the amalgam process treats this coal satistactorily fhe Brasilian govern- ment has -appropriated $300,000 for the epsction of amaigam plant in Brasil at the ‘Bseliminasy The engineer representing the British | rep- | { the Brasilian government | the co. R llion of the War Department. tests with this coal have been most encouraging. “Hope for South Ameriea. Many successful tests have been made on wost of the low-grade coals from South America, from fields which up to the present have not been workable. For example, the coal from Bolivia goes 58 per cent ash The greatest test of amalgam for use in the manufacture of water gas is now being made in the Lancaster Gas Works by the Bertron-Griscom Com- pany, managing engineers and bank- ers, in eight-foot water gas sets. The local concern, the Trent Amal- gam Company. which is operating the first commercial plant in Alexandria, has acquired rights to the amalgam process in the zone which includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and North Carolina. It will be ob- served that this corporation's terri- tory covers the biggest coal fields in the United States—approximately 6 per cent of the entire coal production of the United States, with 75 per cent of its value. It will also be noted that it includes the big iron and steel centers where the coking process— removing the ofls and tars more val- ugble than the fuel itself before it goes under the boilers and to the i blast furnaces—can be employed to the very best advantage. Raymond T. Baker, former director of the United States mint, is. presi- dent of the local concern. Joseph P. Tumulty, secretary to former Presi- dent Wilson, is vice president. Wal- ter E. Trent, inventor of the process, is consulting engincer and operating director. J. W. Hutchison, general manager of the Goldfield Consolidated mine, which turned out over $89,- 000,000 and was considered the great- est gold mine in the world. is coming here next week to be manager of production in the Alexandria plant. The local concern hagaeguired wharf- age at the foot of South Capitol street from which to deliver to consumers in the capital. It has a tug and a deck scow with 500-ton capacity at the Alexandria plant, ready to bring the amalgam by water to the W ington water front. CompaTison of Prices. How about the price of amalgam? 1t can be delivered in Washington today at $10 a ton. It was sold in Alexandria last winter for $7.50 a ton. Reduction in transportation costs will largely regulate the price.. The Alexandria plant is now using mine screenings, which cost 75 cents a_ton £.0.b. the mines, and which cost $880 more to haul to the plant. The over- head cost of treatment is very smail. {The finished product is 20 per cenmt ! fuel oil, which is now costing $1.69 for {a forty-two gallon barrel. e costs can all be reduced by cWéMper { transportation in quantity ] How is amalgam made? Simply by taking the mine slack, stirring it {up in a big tank of walcr, sending |it through a pulverizing machine, | shooting it into a big cylinder, Wiere the pulverized coal, water and oM are kept in a state of agitation and where the carbon and oil grab together with a natural affinity—then throwing the ! mudiike substance off on a traveling screen, which allows the water and impurities to leak off and dumps the amalgam into a freight car ready for delivery. The entire process occupies only ten minutes. Tests have shown that this process can make a complete recovery of the 15 to 33 per cent of precious carbon particles from the ashes in railroad yards and from industrial and city ash dumps. The ash content of amalgam has been reduced to less than 4 per cent. There Is slight dan- ger of an amalgam plant suffering from shortage of coal supply, it is pointed out, because it uses the waste that no one else wants. The fuel ofl thai s mixed With tms waste from the coal mines is the rough stuft left after gasoline, benzine, kereosene and other refined products have all been removed. The amalgam burns without clinker because all the silica, slate, iron and other clinker-form- ing impurities in the coal have been extracted. N No Deterioration in Amalgam does not depreciate in torage. It can be left out in the rain and snow all winter. In fact, the best possible storage for amal- gam is under ‘water. The removal of the water is the last step in the process. Experts point out that its coking qualities are probably its biggest fu- ture. The amalgam process makes okable coals that are now uncoky, Sincy bureau of mines author- orage. In ordinary ovens it takes twelve to thirty-six hours to turm the coal Into coke. The amalgam plant has a special coke pot, of very stmple structure, which makes tae coke In six’ hours. In this coking process all the valuable coal tar and oil by-products are reclaimed and the coke is pure, with no cinder or clinker and practically no ash. Walter E. Trent, inventor of the process, worked It out immediately following the war, when he was em- pleyed in a laboratory at the bu- reau of standards secured through -operation of the invention secs —————— CATCH SHIP IN AIRPLANE. Two women who had booked passige on a liner for New York and had missed the boat-train in London engaged an airplane, in which they reached South~ a fow minutes before their vege