Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Please note: this text may be incomplete. For more information about this OCR, view About OCR text.

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)