August 31, 1918





RECORD   AND   GUIDE





237





No Coal Shortage this Winter, says D. W. Cooke





State Fuel Administrator Confid
Demand But Must

DW. COOKE, U. S. Fuel Administrator for New
York State has authorized the following state-
ment as to the outlook  for coal  supplies for
this city for the approaching winter.

"I never have had and I do not now have any fear
that there will be any shortage of coal during the
coming cold season provided there is reasonable care
taken to prevent waste and careless extravagance and
provided the weather is not so extreme as last winter,
but is similar to that prevailing in average seasons."

In support of this statement Mr. Cooke reviewed the
various conditions obtaining in the handling of coal
froni the mine to the consunier, in response to an in-
quiry of a representative of the Record and Guide made
to clear up the situation so far as it effects property
owners aiid managers in the city.

It is known that the Federal Administration has taken
steps to provide for the falling off in man-power at the
mines and the War Industries Board has arranged with
the Railroad Administration to divert more cars for
the handling of coal. There is plenty of coal in the
mines. What is of particular interest to consumers in
this city is whether the local facilities for handling coal
are adequate.

Mr. Cooke has been in ofifice long enough to master
the details of the work of providing New York with its
quota of fuel. What he says applies to anthracite coal,
which is the kind used in heating the offices, apartment
buildings and private residences in the city.

"The system of handling coal in tliis city is all right,"
said Mr. Cooke. "We are not making any revolutionary
changes in it. What is the feature of the condition
to-day is that we are all working together to obtain
a certain result. All the administrative functions have
been co-ordinated for this purpose.

"We have this year, in addition to the fornier method
of administration, a director of dock terminals who will
see to it that they are used to the best advantage.

"We have sufíicient barges and towboats and the rail-
road terminals are adequate. There is additional capac-
ity in coal shutes provided by the new Jersey Central
coal shed and there are additional steaming plants for
handling coal in severe weather.

"The retail dealers are provided with proper and
suíificient equipment to do their share of the work.

"The method of handling coal for New York City has
been satisfactory, except in such extreme seasons as last
year which was exceptional. Unless we have a recur-
rence of the extreme weather of last year we shall be
able to supply New York without any trouble. The
quota is 12% more than last year. But there must be
no waste or extravagance."

It can be stated that provision has been made for
breaking ice in the Hudson River if there should be any
trouble as there was last winter, but the Fuel Admin-
istration does not care to announce publicly what steps
have been taken as these involve matters over which
the National Government has jurisdiction.

The tremendously increasing dcmand for coal for
special war purposes in the Eastern part of the coun-
try, particularly for the Navy and Transport service, is
making it necessary to draw more heavily on the East-
ern coal fields than was originally contemplated.

In order to d    -'de how best to secure this coal for





ent Supply Will Meet Legitimate
Be No Extravagance

these purposes with the least disturbance of the coal
supply moving to other industries, a meeting of all
State Fuel Administrators East of the Mississippi, and
also the States of Minnesota, North Dakota and South
Dakota, was held in Washington last week.

At this meeting it was decided that to accomplish
the desired result it would be necessary to limit the
amount of coal storage that industrial plants would
be allowed to accumulate and to carry on hand and to
fix a uniform amount for each State.

LTnited States Fuel Administrator Garfield announced
the basic policy of the Fuel Administration as to storage
as follows:

"Coal in excess of that required for current operations
shall be delivered to plants not on the Preference List
of the War Industries Board only when it is not in
deniand for use before April 1, 1919, by consumers on
said list, namely, railroads, the Federal Government,
states, counties, public utilities, retail dealers, or man-
ufacturing plants on the Preference List.

"In carrying out this policy, allowance shall be made
for diff'erences in distance from the mines arid for dif-
ferences in transportation conditions which may require
more or less storage at the beginning of winter to in-
sure uninterrupted operation until the following spring."

The storage allowance fixed by a committee of State
Fuel Administrators aided by officials of the Adminis-
tration, was adopted by the conference, and concurred
in by Dr. Garfield.   For nearby states it was as foUows:

MAXIMUM NUMBER DAYS STORAGE BITUMIN-

OUS COAL ALLOWED UNTIL FURTHER

NOTICE.

















BY




PRODUCT




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£s

Maine...........120       90       30        120       90       0

Mass., Vt, N. H.,

Northern N. Y. 90       60       30         90       60       0

Conn., R. 1......  75       45       20         75       45       0

Southern N. Y.,

N. J., Del.,

Eastern Pa....  30       30        15         45       30       0

The report says:

"It is understood that these limits are mandatory and
each Fuel Administrator is expected to see that the dif-
ferent classes of consumers are not allowed to exceed
these limits. At the same time, it is understood that
particular cases niay require special treatment by a
State Fuel Administrator, either by way of granting
more stocks of coal than are indicated by these limits,
or by restricting them to a less supply than indicated
by these limits.

"Where a State Administrator decides that the maxi-
mum liinit should be cxceeded in a special case for some
special reason, he shall have authority to grant a re-
vocable increase in writing for a specific added number
of days. The administrator shall report each such
specific case in writing immediately to the United States
Fuel Administrator at Washington, which may in writ-
ing disapprove the extension granted by him. Other-
wise, it shall stand subject to action of the State Fuel
Administrator."