Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 295, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1919 — COMMISSIONERS USED FORESIGHT [ARTICLE]

COMMISSIONERS USED FORESIGHT

EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS BENEFITS GENERAL PUBLIC.

Errors made by public servants are seldom passed over without severe criticism. When public officials use more efficient business methods in the conduct of public affairs than business men use in the management of their private enterprises it would seem to be right and just that such public officials be given full credit for such service. Jasper county commissioners purchased and had delivered some eleven cars of coal last fall and have on hand now a supply sufficient for the year’s needs. The need of fuel has become so acute here that the board was appealed to by W. EK Beam, who is serving as fuel Administrator, and Monday Custodian Charles Morlan met with the coal dealers of the city and made arrangements to supply the people of the city with coal to the amount of, one hundred tons. . . . . Mr. Morlan had anticipated a condition such as we are at present confronted with and had taken the matter up with the county commissioners at their last session, and had been advised to spare some coal should conditions make it seem necessary. With this supply and with everybody saving as much fuel as possible and with the bright prospects of the coal miners going to work within the next forty-eight hours the coal famine here should not be sever®. ? _> There should be an effort made to get as much wood into the city now as possible. There is a great amount of wood going to waste m the county. Another point that should be indelibly .impressed upon the mind of the public is the necessity of storing soft coal during .the summer months. Idleness during the summer is one of the greatest difficulties of the mining of coal. Much of the winter coal should be mined, shipped and stored during the summer. Whatever adjustment may be made in the way of wages and other means to keep the.miners at work in the winter time, the soft coal supply will be insufficient if a large per cent of the coal has not been delivered during the summer.