Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 271, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 December 1917 — State Fuel Administrator Issues Statement To School Heads [ARTICLE]

State Fuel Administrator Issues Statement To School Heads

To the principals of all high schools and all directors of the reserve: Mr. Evans Woollen, state fuel administrator advises that careful investigation reveals the startling fact that even with Indiana mines producing a maximum of coal there will hot be enought to meet local demands and that undoubtedly there will be a serious shortage of coal in every locality of the state before the winter is over. * Officials in Washington advise that the shortage of coal for the entire United States this winter will be 50,000,000 tons. The reason is obvious—modern warfare demands the production of such huge supplies for armies and navies that the capacity of all “Essential Industrial” must

be doubled and in many instances trebled and quadrupled. To generate energy to run these industries, to reduce iron ore to steel and steel to guns and amunition, heat must be produced. To produce sufficient heat we must have mountains of coal. To have mountains of coal, every solitary one of us must economize in the consumption of coal at home, and in the school, churches, etc, for domestic heating. A most practical form of economy is that suggested by Mr. Richard Lieber, secretary of the Indiana State Board of Forestry and endorsed by the Indiana State Council of Defense. In a the wood-lots and forests on Indiana farms, there are millions of feet of dead and fallen timber, which can. and should be cut into suitable lengths for stove wood as a substitute for coal. However, labor is the limiting element which controls the availability of this timber. Most farmers are too busy in their preparations for increased crops next season to permit their cutting more timber, than they need for home consumption. Others have not the time to cut enough for their own use. Therefore the state of Indiana looks to its high school and colleges boys to devote their spare lours after school and on Saturdays to this work. A saw buck club for each high school. The high school is the natural cleaning house for work of this nature, and all school superintendents and high school principals are urged to immediately interest boys under their supervision in this work, and to make proper arrangements with farmers having this timber available. County council of defense, mayors of cities, school boards, churches and fraternal organizations will gladly co-operate'. Have this sign printed in large letters and hang in front of your high school at once. Farmers Who have wood to cut Our boys will help. Terms: on shares or cash Apply high school principal at once. First come—First served. (a) Have boys chop wood on percentage basis—Farmer keeps part and balance goes to homes of boys, hauling being done by farmer’s team if available. (b) Chop wood for pay. Fanner keeps all the wood and pays boys so much per cord of wood chopped. (c) Chop wood for school houses with or without compensation. NOTE: It ■ has been predicted that many school houses will be unable to sufficient coal for the winter Wood will prevent schools from closing. (d) Chop, wood for churches without compensation. (e) Chop wood for charity wood yard to be established in town. No compensation. (f) Chop wood for municipal wood yard—boys paid by city—wood sold by city to local consumers. (g) Chop wood for fraternal organizations with compensation. TOOLS-—Each boys should own an axe and take as much pride in keeping it sharp as the soldier does in keeping his rifle clean. In meeting the present emergency, the boy armed with an axe is just as effective as the soldier armed with a gun. Farmers should furnish cut and DIRECTION—Each group of boys should be accompanied by a farmer or other mature man competent to instruct them in their work and direct their energies. Boys should recognize such men as company commanders and obey orders. CREDITS —Each one-fourth, onehalf or full day devoted by< a boy to wood chopping will count toward the accummulation of thirty-six agricub tural credits for which the Federal Bronze badge is awarded to members of the U. S. boys’ working reserve, (one full day equals a full credit) school principals wil please keep a record of the credits earned by boys and make recommendations for this badge to the federal state director, 83 state house; Indiana-

pons. DEFINITION—A SCIENTIFIC CORD of wood is four feej high, eight feet long and four feet wide. A COMMERCIAL CORD of wood is four feet high, eight feet long and any width four feet or shorter. . . , Pay for wood-chopping is based on the COMMERCIAL CORD regardless of width, the theory being: —the shorter the wood the more labor involved in cutting it. Don't sit on the fence while the game goes on. German boys are cutting woodwhy not American boys? The hoy who is content to sit on the fence in stirring times like these, while others “PLAY THE GAME” does not measure up to the standard of a M-A-N- MAN.