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August 26, 1922 RECORD AND GU^DE 263 REAL ESTATE SECTION Coal Commission Warns of Serious Shortage Next Winter Gov. Miller Calls Special Session of Legislature for Next Monday to Consider Measures of Relief Which He Will Propose NEGOTIATIONS for settlement of the strike in the anthracite mining district having been broken off local agencies for establishing priorities, rationing and dis¬ tribution of coal renewed their efforts to ameliorate as far as possible conditions that will result in privation and hard¬ ships during the coming winter. Because of the serious illness of Eugenius H. Outerbridge, chairman of the Governor's Coal Commission, a statement setting forth the very serious state of affairs was made public by Transit Commissioner LeRoy T. Harkness, acting for Mr. Outerbridge. In issuing this state¬ ment Mr. Harkness denied that, because of his illness, Mr. Outerbridge had resigned, but said he would remain chairman of the present commission until the creation by the Legisla¬ ture of another commission, on recommendation of Governor Miller, to which, it is expected, greater powers will be granted than the Governor could give to the existing body. In the statement, Mr. Harkness says: "The situation in New York State this fall and winter will be very acute at the best. Nearly five months of anthracite coal production has already been lost, and the greatest diffi¬ culty is being experienced in getting through shipments out of the very reduced supply of bituminous coal. The Governor has called the Legislature in special session for next Monday, and legislation will undoubtedly be enacted clothing the New York State Fuel Administration with all the powers the State can give it. The benefit of such action will largely be lost unless the Federal Government on its part promptly con¬ stitutes a strong central agency to secure the coal and get it to the several States. "Unless effective and vigorous measures are taken to develop to the utmost the supply and distribution of coal, especially anthracite coal. New York faces a coal shortage even worse than that of the winter of 1917-1918. New York is absolutely dependent upon anthracite coal to keep warm. The prospect of winter being so near and the State almost denuded of anthracite is alarming. "In this emergency the Coal Commission believes it should call this matter to the attention of the New York delegation in Congress and urge upon it vigorous and united effort to secure immediate action." Governor Miller last Tuesday issued a call for the Legisla¬ ture to meet in special session at Albany on next Monday to act on the coal shortage. The Governor will present a definite plan to the Legislature which is in preparation. It is under¬ stood that he will ask for authority to appoint a permanent coal administrator, whose duties and powers will be similar to those delegated to President Garfield, of WilHams College, who was President 'Wilson's Federal fuel administrator throughout the war. The new State administrator, it was said, will decide what street lights, advertising signs, theatres, etc., must be closed or restricted to conserve coal next winter. Attention was called to the prediction of the Coal Dealers' Association that price fixing would have a tendency to send shipments of coal out of the State. "I am sure that the State of New York will receive its pro rata supply of the coal that is mined, based on the consump¬ tion of past years, and I am proceeding on that assumption," the Governor replied. "Would that be taken care of by the Federal Congress?" "Jurisdiction of the State of New York does not extend into the anthracite coal fields. The best we can do is to try to get our share and then see that it is so proportioned that everybody in the State gets his share." The Governor said he did not believe that it would be necessary at any time for public schools or public utilities or industries to suspend because of the coal shortage, but that the utmost economy would have to be resorted to. "The resumption of mining tomorrow would not remove the emergency. It would only lessen the emergency. There is bound to be such a shortage of anthracite fuel this winter as to suspend the operation of the ordinary law of supply and demand." Gov. ]\Iiller had a conference on last Wednesday with represen¬ tatives of coal dealers and producers with a view to obtaining first hand information and co-operation in anticipation of the special session of the Legislature. After the conference the Governor outlined the situation in this fashion: "There is a general prospect of prompt resumption of mining in the bituminous fields and they can produce more than the normal consumption of the country. The anthracite situation is different, and when mining will be resumed in the anthracite field nobody seems to know." The Governor emphasized that the first consideration was fuel for the householder. After pointing out that the peace overtures in the anthracite field had failed, the Governor said: "The immediate problem that we have to deal with is domestic fuel for the householder. Of course, we can't do much in the way of distributing it until there is some to distribute. "We have just had a general discussion of the situation in antici¬ pation of the session of the Legislature. A committee representing the retailers, a committee representing the wholesalers and a com¬ mittee representing the anthracite producers and one gentleman representing the bituminous producers were here to give me such information as they could with respect to the general situation. Of course, whatever we do, we shall need the co-operation of these gentlemen." Up to last Sunday seventeen steamships carrying 110,000 tons of British coal, had arrived in the Port of New York. Total shipments already booked for delivery are estimated at fully 1,500,000 tons. Heavy movements are under way also to Boston, which has already received 96,000 tons, and to Phila¬ delphia. The total of approximately 215,000 tons of coal which arrived at the three ports last week compares with imports of 135,000 tons during the entire month of June. The ships reaching New York last week were chartered at the beginning of the coal rush at rates ranging from $1.65 to $2 a ton. The coal, accordingly, was laid down in the port at a cost of $8.50 to $9.25 a ton, comparing with the prices of domestic fuel of $9.15 to $10.50 a ton. Much of the coal due to arrive in the next few weeks represents freight rates averaging $3 a ton and a total cost of $9 to $10 a ton. These figures give the reason why the speculation on shipments has diminished with the settlement of the bituminous coal strike. It is apparent that the cost of a large part of the imported coal will approximate the current prices here at the time of arrival. The chief demand for shipments arises from public utilities and other concerns which must have supplies and cannot obtain sufficient quantities at the prevailing prices.