12 avril 1916
1er juin 1924
BNC
France. Bureau national des charbons (1916-1924)
Le BNC est constitué des services de la direction à Paris, comprenant des services techniques (répartition, transports, importation, affrètements) et des services administratifs et commerciaux (comptabilité, prix, contrôle des prix, contentieux), des bureaux régionaux dans les arrondissements minéralogiques, des bureaux des délégués dans les ports d’importation et des services à l’étranger (mission de Londres qui a des bureaux locaux dans les centres miniers et mission de Bruxelles après la guerre).
Organisation du BNC en décembre 1917 (AJ/26/49)
Secrétariat
Courrier, signature, affaires générales.
Personnel, matériel et caisse.
Statistique.
Production
Mines, cokes, stocks du compte spécial.
Importations.
Contrôle et répartition des importations dans les ports.
Autorisations d’importations (licences).
Transports.
Répartition
Détermination des contingents et répartition entre les mines et les ports.
Consommation
Approvisionnement des transports.
Armement et Intendance.
Grand commerce et grande industrie.
Usines à gaz et électriques.
Besoins domestiques et administratifs.
Consommation de Paris, Seine, Seine-et-Oise, Seine-et-Marne.
Comptabilité générale.
Poursuites et contentieux.
Vérification sur place et missions - services d’inspection
Bureau de Londres
Bureaux des charbons dans les arrondissements minéralogiques et dans les ports
Nouvelle organisation en mars 1919 (AJ/26/49)
Direction
Service général
Secrétariat.
Personnel, matériel, caisse.
Courrier parlementaire.
Premier bureau
Répartition générale des charbons français, anglais, belges et allemands.
Mines et statistiques.
Transports.
Cokes.
Deuxième bureau
Relations avec les groupements d’importateurs des ports.
Établissement des autorisations d’importation pour les charbons et les cokes.
Répartition dans les ports.
Port de Rouen, port de Paris.
Flotte charbonnière.
Troisième bureau
Foyers domestiques et besoins administratifs.
Usines de gaz et d’électricité.
Chambres de commerce.
Groupements industriels.
Quatrième bureau
Taxation des charbons anglais et américains.
Taxation des charbons français, belges allemands.
Contrôle de l’application des prix par les producteurs, les importateurs et les collectivités.
Contentieux et poursuites. Questions juridiques et litigieuses.
Cinquième bureau
Comptabilité générale.
Le déclenchement de la Première Guerre mondiale engendre une crise brutale des combustibles en privant la France d’une partie des mines du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais et des importations allemandes et belges. Le charbon est en effet à cette époque le combustible primordial pour l’industrie, les transports, la production de gaz et d’électricité, le chauffage et l’alimentation de la population des villes.
Pour résoudre la pénurie, l’État est conduit à intervenir de plus en plus dans la production, le transport et la commercialisation du charbon afin de procéder à une répartition équitable et rationnelle des disponibilités.
L’Administration des chemins de fer de l’État, qui a l’expérience des importations de charbon, est dans un premier temps chargée de concourir au ravitaillement en combustibles de la population civile. Le décret du 4 décembre 1914 décide l’ouverture d’un compte spécial de 15 millions de francs d’avances aux chemins de fer de l’État pour financer l’achat des charbons. Le décret du 9 janvier 1915 fixe les modalités des opérations d’achat, d’importation, de répartition, de vente et de remboursement au Trésor.
Cette organisation représentant une charge très lourde pour le Réseau de l’État, des structures spécialisées sont mises progressivement en place pour gérer le ravitaillement en charbon.
Une commission de répartition des combustibles est créée au ministère des Travaux publics pour examiner les commandes des industriels et des particuliers, fixer les priorités dans les livraisons et définir les modalités de réalisation (décret du 15 février 1915). Ultérieurement, une autre commission est chargée de fixer les prix des charbons français et anglais (décret du 5 février 1916).
A la suite d’un rapport des directeurs des chemins de fer de l’État et des mines signalant les complications dues à la multiplicité des organismes, le ministre des Travaux publics, Marcel Sembat, crée, par décision ministérielle verbale du 12 avril 1916, un bureau des charbons pour centraliser toutes les études relatives aux combustibles et suivre les opérations ayant une répercussion sur le compte spécial. Simultanément, le 22 avril 1916, l’État se dote d’une loi fondamentale qui institue la taxation (prix maxima) des charbons, limite les taux de fret des importations d’Angleterre et autorise les réquisitions.
Le Bureau central des charbons, premier nom du BNC, est un organe autonome rattaché à la direction des mines au ministère des Travaux publics. C’est à l’origine une commission centrale intermédiaire entre les consommateurs et le gouvernement britannique, chargée d’acheter et de répartir les charbons et d’affréter les tonnages nécessaires à leur transport.
Une instruction du 1er juin 1916 stipule que toutes les demandes de charbon à importer sont contrôlées et visées par le bureau des charbons qui transmet ensuite les demandes acceptées au bureau des charbons de Londres où sont conclus les contrats d’achats et d’affrètements. Le BNC ne devant pas avoir affaire à des répartiteurs particuliers, les acheteurs sont réunis en un petit nombre de groupements.
Pour remplir ces nouvelles missions, le BNC doit se doter d’un personnel et organiser des services centraux et locaux ; ces frais de gestion sont financés par le prélèvement d'une taxe de 0,05 fr par tonne sur les importations.
À partir du 1er juillet 1916 les Chemins de fer de l’État cessent d’acheter et de répartir et constituent seulement un stock de secours.
L’aggravation de pénuries après l’hiver 1916-1917 entraîne une centralisation des questions de ravitaillement. Le BNC est alors transféré au ministère du Ravitaillement et des Transports maritimes créé en mars 1917 (décret du 29 avril 1917), où il est très brièvement réuni à la direction des combustibles (1er juin 1917). Dès le 20 juin 1917, les services des combustibles et des transports maritimes passent par délégation au sous-secrétariat d’État de l’Armement et des Fabrications de guerre, puis à partir du 3 juillet 1917, le BNC retrouve son individualité au sein du ministère de l’Armement et des Fabrications de guerre qui devient ministère de la Reconstitution industrielle après l’armistice.
Un nouveau régime charbonnier se met en place à l’été 1917. Louis Loucheur, ministre de l’Armement puis de la Reconstitution industrielle, renforce le rôle du BNC dans sa tâche de répartir le charbon et d’en fixer les prix. Il instaure une péréquation destinée à obtenir un prix de vente uniforme : les consommateurs industriels approvisionnés en charbon bon marché paient une surtaxe destinée à financer une ristourne allouée aux consommateurs domestiques de charbon cher. Dans ce but est créé une deuxième section - péréquation des combustibles - au compte spécial (décret du 7 janvier 1918).
Avec 309 agents au 1er août 1918, le BNC est à son apogée. Il intervient dans la répartition générale des disponibilités, le contrôle exercé sur le charbon à sa sortie des mines ou à son arrivée dans les ports, l’organisation des groupements de consommateurs, la taxation des prix et toute mesure d’ordre financier.
Juillet 1919 voit le retour à la liberté d’importation du charbon, mais l’État maintient son contrôle sur la circulation intérieure. Le rôle du BNC se limite désormais à la répartition et au contrôle des prix. Par décret du 2 décembre 1919, le BNC est chargé de délivrer des bons d’attributions aux groupements de consommateurs ; pour les livraisons de charbon faites en vertu du traité de Versailles, il a recours a un tiers mandataire, l’Office des houillères sinistrées (OHS), qui reçoit et livre le charbon allemand.
À la suite de la démission du cabinet Clemenceau et de la disparition du ministère de la Reconstitution industrielle, le décret du 22 janvier 1920, transfère la direction des mines et le BNC au ministère des Travaux publics. Le 23 janvier 1920 un arrêté crée un service des charbons au ministère des Travaux publics pour la répartition, l’importation et le transport des charbons, auquel le BNC est rattaché.
Au début de 1921, la France fait face à une crise industrielle de surproduction qui met fin à la pénurie et remet en cause l’intervention de l’État dans le marché. Par arrêté du 26 février 1921, « les opérations de répartition et de contingentement des combustibles effectuées par le BNC prennent fin le 1er mars 1921 ». La liquidation des opérations du BNC est effectuée par le service des charbons au cabinet du ministre des Travaux publics. Les services du BNC sont peu à peu supprimés (201 agents en avril 1919, 92 au 1er octobre 1921 et 30 au 1er janvier 1922), seuls subsistent les services chargés de la liquidation financière. Le service des charbons qui termine cette liquidation doit aussi assurer le contrôle des livraisons de charbons par l’Allemagne, en exécution du traité de paix, et leur vente par l’OHS.
Le décret du 14 mai 1924 clôture à la date du 1er juin 1924 le compte spécial « Approvisionnement de combustibles » ouvert dans les écritures de l’Administration des chemins de fer de l’État par décret du 4 décembre 1914 ; le service de liquidation des opérations du BNC est alors rattaché au service d’apurement des comptes spéciaux du Trésor qui prend en charge ses archives.
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