October 27, 1917





RECORD   AND   GUIDE





537





BUILDING MANAGEMENT

DUTY  OF  EVERY  CITIZEN  IS   TO   CONSERVE  COAL

Shortage of Fuel Might be   Lessened   Were Proper
Methods of HandUng AppHed in Systematic Manner





THE development of the coal situa¬
tion during the past few weeks
should be a matter of grave concern
to every thinking man in the country,
and cause even the thoughtless to pause
and consider what the "signs of the
times"  portend  in   this  particular  field.

The prodigality that attends the con¬
sumption of coal in ordinary every-day
practice would indicate that the thought
is firmly imbedded in the public mind
that nature's supply of this commodity
is inexhaustible, and that the only rea¬
son for scarcity is that labor trouble,
car shortage, unusual demand, or some
similar reason has prevented the nor¬
mal supply being brought to market.
While these are the true reasons as
applied to the immediate present, it is
wise to view the subject in a broader
sense.

The annual normal coal production in
the United States is more than 500,000,-
000 tons, and if the present increasing
rate of production continues the total
available supply in this country will be
exhausted in a little more than 100
years, while the total British supply
will be exhausted in considerably less
time. Many foreign countries depend
upon the United States for coal. The
lack of this necessity in Italy today and
the impossibility of supplying the needs
of the country will not only cause in¬
tense suffering and hardship during the
coming winter, but is today seriously
impeding the progress of the Italian
army, because of the lack of munitions
and the inability of the factories to
obtain fuel with which to continue
manufacturing.

Coal in Argentine is selling at more
than $100 a ton. Similar conditions pre¬
vail in many other countries. In our
own country munition manufacturers
in some sections have been obliged to
sus"pend or curtail operations on account
of the shortage of fuel. Manifestly,
the cost of coal to the consumer will
increase continuously as each suceed-
ing year further depletes our fixed and
limited supply, and brings the world
nearer to the approach of the exhaus¬
tion of the total available supply. It
requires no seer, therefore, to realize
that even if every one could get all the
coal desired at what might be con¬
sidered a reasonable price, it is incum¬
bent upon every one to use as little
coal as possible, to eliminate waste in
every conceivable way and to conserve
the   supply  in  nature's  storehouse.

This urgent necessity for conservation
brings forcibly to the attention the
amazing waste that accompanies the
burning of coal as fuel. This waste
reaches its highest proportions in the
vast number of heating plants of all
kinds, and although somewhat reduced
in power boilers, owing to the higher
rate of combustion maintained and
better methods of firing, is still of
startling proportions. In heating plants
under conditions ordinarily prevailing
fully 50 per cent, of the 12,000 to 13,500
B. t. u. (British thermal units) con¬
tained in each pound of coal is wasted
and  yields  no return  whatever.

This loss is due largely to improper
and insufficient air supply. According
to the findings of the engineers of the
Bureau of Mines, as recorded in one of
their bulletins, a properly regulated air
supply over the fire is essential for the
economical combustion of coal, no
matter what rate of combustion is main¬
tained. A further reason for the un¬
usual heat losses in all styles of heating
plants lies in the fact that a heating
plant is designed to heat a building in
zero weather in our latitude and in
weather far below zero in northern sec¬
tions of our country.





The average winter weather in any
given locality is always 30^ to 50"
higher than the lowest temperature for
which the heating plant is designed.
Hence the heating plant has a much
larger grate area than is necessary for
mild winter weather, and it will there¬
fore burn too much coal and give off
too much heat unless the air supply
under the grate is checked, thereby re¬
stricting the air supply, which, as above
stated, under most favorable conditions,
would be insufficient for complete com¬
bustion. This condition naturally leads
to great waste.

Each pound of coal can give off 12,000
B. t. u. to 13,500 B. t. u., but when the
air supply is checked so that the fire¬
box temperature runs down as low as
is practicable for the maintenance of
any real fire that same pound of coal
develops and gives out only 4,000 B t. u.,
that is, it rots and gives less than a
third of its value. This condition of
operation, which prevails universally in
all heating plants, emphasizes still more
the demand for means of providing a
properly regulated air supply over the
fire.

While the problem of combustion
efficiency has engaged the attention of
engineers for many years in efforts to
overcome this tremendous waste, it is
still  true  that  little progress  had  been





made until the last year or two, and the
oft-repeated failures have retarded to
a great extent the acceptance and adop¬
tion of the means now available for the
elimination in a marked degree of the
appalling loss of energy that has here¬
tofore  been  accepted  as  unavoidable.

Darius Green's flying machine was a
standing joke long before the earliest
recollection of the "oldest inhabitant,"
yet today man sails through the air
with ease and security.

Jules Verne's dream is another in¬
stance of ideas coming to fruitage. Even
S. B. Morse, with his telegraph, met
with ridicule and rebuff from the "wise
men" of his time. Today millions of
miles of wire encircle the globe, over
mountain and under seas, carrying the
messages of war and commerce. It is
the duty of. every citizen to conserve
coal. Dr. Garfield has said: "The man
who wastes coal today is an enemy of
mankind."

In concrete figures the adoption of the
methods now available in that field of
coal consumption, to which these
methods can be easily applied, would
effect an annual saving in the United
States alone of 20,000,000 to 30,000,000
tons, or $100,000,000 to $15,000,000, each
year. Each individual coal consumer
should take immediate steps toward do¬
ing his part in eff'ecting this economy.





WAR STAMP TAXES.





Title Company Prepares  Data  of  Inter¬
est  to   Real   Estate  Market.

""PHE following data has been pre-
-*■ pared by the Title Guarantee &
Trust Company relative to the war
stamp taxes, for the conveniences of
those interested in the real estate and
building fields :

1.    The provisions in relation to the
War Stamp Taxes take effect December
1, 1917.

2.     The following stamp taxes affect
the business of the Company.

(a) Conveyances. The tax is to be
figured only on the equity over encum¬
brances and relates only to realty sold.
Therefore gifts, conveyances to dum¬
mies and other transfers not relating
to or carrying out a sale need not be
stamped. Exchanges and barter must
be treated as sales, and stamps affixed
for fair values of the equities passing.
Wliere a purchase money mortgage is
given back to the seller, the mortgage
should be mentioned in the deed and
then the tax need be figured only on the
equity above the purchase money mort¬
gage.

Amount of tax, 50 cents on considera¬
tion between $100 and $500; and 50 cents
for each additional $500.

This is equivalent to a tax of one-
tenth of one per cent on the equity. No
stamps on mortgages.

(b)    Bonds, to secure mortgage in¬
debtedness or other bonds to secure
indebtedness and each renewal thereof.
Each-agreement extending time of in¬
debtedness must be stamped like an
original bond under the provision re¬
lating to renewal. The stamps should
be affixed to the counterpart of the ex¬
tension agreement retained by the
creditor or mortgage holder and a no¬
tation of the fact that this counterpart
is stamped should be made on the one
delivered to the debtor or owner of the
premises.

Amount of tax 5 cents on each $100
of face value, or sum for which a penal
bond is conditioned.

(c)    Collateral Bonds on mortgages,
surety bonds and any other bonds not
given to secure indebtedness to be
stamped 50 cents.





(d)  Powers of Attorney, 25 cents each.

(e)   Promissory Notes and drafts or
checks payable in future, 2 cents for
each sum not exceeding $100 and 2 cents
for each additional $100 or fraction
thereof.

(f)   Capital Stock. On each original
issue 5 cents on each $100 of face value
or fraction thereof, represented by each
certificate of stock and 5 cents on each
share of stock issued without face
value, unless the actual value is in ex¬
cess of $100 per share, in which case,
the tax shall be 5 cents on each $100 of
actual value or fraction thereof repre¬
sented by each certificate. The stamps
on original issues shall be attached to
the stock bonds and not the certificates.

On all transfers of stock, including
each delivery, and including each mem¬
orandum of transfer or sale, 2 cents on
each $100 of face value or fraction
thereof; or, where stock is without par
value, 2 cents on each share unless the
actual value is in excess of $100 per
share, in which case, the tax shall be 2
cents on each $100 of actual value or
fraction thereof. This tax does not
apply to deliveries as collateral secur¬
ity for money loaned nor to deliveries
to brokers for sale.

Stamps are to be placed upon the
certificates   or   agreements   of   sale.

(g) Proxies for voting at elections or
meetings  10 cents each.

3.   Stamp taxes are to paid by the
person who signs or issues the taxable
instrument or sells the property cov¬
ered thereby. The validity of the in¬
strument is not affected, but the person
who signs or issues an instrument, with¬
out the full amount of stamps thereon
and the person who accepts such an in¬
strument are declared to be guilty of a
misdemeanor and shall pay a fine of not
more than $100 for each offense.

4.  Stamps are to be cancelled by writ¬
ing thereon the initials of the person
using the same and the date so that the
same may not again be used and the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue may
prescribe additional methods for can¬
cellation.

5.   Policies of title insurance and of
the Bond & Mortgage Guarantee Com¬
pany are not to be stamped. Such poli¬
cies, however, are taxed under title V
of the Act beginning November 1, 1917.





RECORD   AND   GUIDE   IS   IN   ITS   FIFTIETH   YEAR   OF   CONTINUOUS   PUBLICATION.