September 9, 1922





RECORD   AND   GUIDE





327





REAL   ESTATE   SECTION





Perfecting   Organization   to   Check   Coal   Profiteering

Gov. Miller Appoints William H. Woodin State Fuel Administrator Under Emerg¬
ency Law Giving Him Autocratic Power of Control





WITH the appointment last Tuesday by Governor Miller
of William H. Woodin as Fuel Administrator the State
machinery for handling the coal situation is com¬
pleted. Mr. Woodin's appointment follows the passage by the
Legislature of the drastic emergency measure designed to curb
profiteering and insure equitable distribution of coal through¬
out the State. Under the terms of the law which provided
for his appointment and the employment of an efficient staff
to carry the law into effect, the new administrator has almost
autocratic powers, including the use of a revolving fund of
$10,000,000 and the entire official forces of the State. Under the
rules which he will be able to enforce the distribution of coal
and the regulation of price should be governed in the interests
of consumers. The settlement of the strike in the bituminous
fields, and the agreement reached between anthracite operators
and miners which is preliminary to the resumption of work in
the hard coal district indicate that supplies of coal of both
descriptions will soon begin to reach this city. In the main
the efforts of the Fuel Administration will be directed to seeing
that these supplies are equally distributed and that the price
shall not mount to prohibitive figures for all concerned.

In handing Mr. Woodin his commission at Albany Governor
Miller said that it authorized the new official to use the public
funds and extraordinary powers to perform a great public
service.    The  Governor continued:

"There will not be enough anthracite coal to supply the de¬
mand for several months. Profiteering by whomsoever at¬
tempted must be prevented. An equitable distribution of the
available supply must be assured. The needs of the house¬
holder for domestic fuel, of public utility service and, first
of all, the needs of the householders of smallest means must
be   supplied.

"To assure such a supply at a reasonable cost excessive coal
prices must be prevented. It will be necessary to stimulate
economy and teach the use of substitutes for anthracite coal.

In brief, this is your task. I trust you will use just as
little power as possible and all that may be necessary to
perform it. The women of the State will help, the public
generally will help. Those who serve the public must help,
and you can depend lipon my unqualified support at all times,"

Mr, Woodin, in reply, outlined the situation as follows:

"Coal mining has been suspended for five months. We
have reached the bottom of the bin. No one can expect a
full Winter's supply at this time. While production of bitu¬
minous coal has commenced, the mining of anthracite will
not be resumed until September 11. No matter how rapidly
they work, there will be a shortage of anthracite coal this
winter.

"The task of the Fuel Administrator is to see that there is
fair distribution of all fuel at decent prices. Following this
sane policy indicated by Governor Miller in his message to the
Legislature in August, effort will be made to have no inter¬
ference with the ordinary channels of trade. Fuel will be
rationed among the regular dealers. They will be held ac¬
countable for its distribution. Every dealer will get his share
and  must distribute it  fairly among his customers.

"The Legislature has given the Administrator drastic au¬
thority. Profiteers will be prosecuted. The wealthy or in¬
fluential householder will not be permitted to obtain  coal  at





the expense of his less fortunate neighbor. Consumers will
not be allowed to evade the law by going from one dis¬
tributor to another. The law will be justly and fairly carried
out. Shortages and discomforts can be reduced only if the
people of the State recognize their obligations and give to the
Fuel Administrator  full  help  and co-operation."

Mr. Woodin announced the appointment of Col. William J.
Donovan, of Buffalo, as legal adviser to the Fuel Adniinistrator.
He said he would use the existing machinery of the Governor's
Coal Commission. It would have taken six months, he said, to
build up an efficient staff from the beginning.

Mr. Woodin was not ready to make detailed analysis of the
coal situation, but declared it was apparent that unless citizens of
every section of the state practice the strictest economy in their
use of anthracite coal there will be a serious shortage and possible
hardship.

"Crises will not develop until the snow begins to fall and there
is a rush for fuel," Mr. Woodiin said, "but such data as have been
gathered show that strictest economies must be practiced by all
consumers of anthracite and substitutes used as long as it is pos¬
sible to do so."

Mr. Woodin began to prepare a set of rules and regulations for
the distribution of coal to prevent profiteering and hoarding and
to insure a supply of coal for the poor. Rich customers will not
be permitted to overstock their cellars, while the poor are without
fuel. Economy in the use of fuel will be enforced, he said, by a
system of allotments which will permit householders to buy for
their absolute necessities and will prevent one customer from get¬
ting double or triple supplies of coal by purchasing from two or
more dealers.

As long as dealers "play the game" and obey the orders and in¬
structions of the Fuel Administrator the distribution of coal will
be handled through ordinary trade channels, Mr. Woodin said.
The $10,000,000 emergency fund placed at his disposal will not be
used until it is found impossible to supply coal in the ordinary
way. Mr. ^^'oodin said he had no desire to put the State of New
York into the coal business until it becomes absolutely necessary
to do so.

Now that the State has established machinery for handling
the coal problem, all organizations heretofore acting to pro¬
tect citizens from the inconvenience and losses resulting from
the strikes will subordinate their movements to that of the
new Fuel Administrator. Mr. Woodin will have the hearty
support of the Public Utilities Committee, the Executive Com¬
mittee of the New York State Conference of Mayors, and
the Committee of the New York State Retail Coal Merchants'
Association. The Governor's Coal Commission, of which Eu¬
genius H. Outerbridge is chairman, goes out of business. The
final act of this commission was to cancel orders for coal for
which an advance over the fair price suggested by Secretary
Hoover had been asked. The Commission sent out requisitions
for 100,000 tons on August 16. But it has received no offer
of coal from mines to which the Federal Fuel Distributor has
sent orders which is not an advance on the Hoover price.
The problem will be one for the new State Fuel Adminis¬
trator to solve. Reports from up-State indicated that public
utility companies were getting supplies of bituminous coal.
The total movement of coal from Great Britain will reach
about 1,600,000 tons. This includes cargoes already arrived
(Continued  on  page  328)