My grandfather managed Kohler Die & Specialty, a large machine shop making parts for bicycles & roller skates & ice skates. He often said that in June 1917, the WIB seized all their steel stockpile, putting them out of business. The steel was hauled away on Army trucks. Grandfather said they were never paid for the steel. A neighbor in Chicago worked for Armstrong Steel in some sort of minor managerial capacity. As a kid, I heard him tell that they were told by the WIB who they could sell to, at what price and how much could be delivered.
Gov't control extended to the railroads and coal mines. Have you ever heard the expression "That's a hell of a way to run a railroad"? The Railroad Administration operated from Dec. 1917 until early 1920. They ran the rolling stock into the ground and operated at a net loss of $1.7 billion (when a skilled machinist made about $3 a day).
The Fuel Administration ran the nation's coal mines. I'm writing a biography of a mining engineer who knew lots about coal mines. He was drafted and commissioned a captain in the Army in Sept. 1918. He was supposed to oversee a lot of the coal mining, but came down with the Spanish flu in October 1918. Darn near died. Came out of hospital in March 1919 and was discharged. I have his 1917 S&W. Was it his issue revolver? Or did he buy it from the DCM much later? How do I tell?
