Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-22
ARGENTINE COAL
To Be HAD ONLY
BY THE WEALTHY
Fuel Brings S35 a Ton in
Buenos Aires and Very Lit
tie Is TO Be Had at That.
Price, Navy Ships Impotent,
f.ssocIated Press Correspondence

| 'frr@"t"tfi lftNh toIftHpOhufhffsl
Buenoa Aires, March 3l,--Coal for
ordinary consumption IN the Argen-
tine is now s35 gold per ton, and hard
to purchase even at that figure To
prevent the reduction Of the present
meager supply, the national govern
ment has ordered the principal steam
ship companies not TO put on board
any outbound vessel more coal than
neces sary to carry il TO the nearest
brazilian port OF call. This coal is
the property Of the steamship COM
panies stored here as q precautionary
measure and the fact thar the govern
ment has been obliged to place an
embargo on this private property is
indicative of the seriousness Of the
fuel problems in this country.
The railroads likewise have been
forced to economic by cutting down
the summer time tables OF trains, and
IN the meantime they have placed or
ders for 100000 tons of hard wood
for fuel. But even wood has gone up
so n ton within a week, and Is now
quoted at $33 paper, or s14 gold.
Charcoal. which Is largely used for
domestic purposes, is also So ton
dearer.
The situation Is such that even the
ships OF the Argentina navy are de-
clared to be impotent owing 10 the
lack OF coal. The American-built bat
tleships Rivadayia and Moreno were
constructed TO burn oil, but apparent
ly the oil problem Is nearly as serious
as the coal situation. Crnde petrol
cum from the Argentina wells is be-
ing offered in limited quantities at
$50 paper, $3f gold. per ton. Al
though reported inferior only to the
best Rumanian oil, the Argentina gov
ernment and people have displayed
skeptical attitude toward the native
OIL
The deposits have been said to be
unlimited. but despite this the output
has been small and neither the navy
nor manufacturers generally avail
themselves Of the native product. The
German Electric Light and Power
company. which supplies this city and
suburbs, and which formerly used |
coal exclusively, began to use the Ar
gentina oil after the outbreak of the |
war but has lately discontinued that |
and Is now burning the Mexican pro-
duct. This Notwithstanding the recent !
grant by the government of 5000 |
600 TO develop the Argentine oil re-
gions.
An official report of conditions pre-
vailing in ana around the Comodoro- |
Rivadayia oil area shows some inef |
ficicnt conditions under which the de- !
IL the field is being under |
taken. Water il lacking in that res
gion and has to be brought from a |
place more than thirty miles away. |
and labor ia also scarce. Being a |
government monopoly, and heavily 4
flscalized, the operations have been |
elaborate and costly, but. 1t Is charg- /
ed, extremely inefficient. II is said to |
be doubtful whether the oil fields Will !
ever respond to the elaborate hopes !
based upon the casual discovery of !
tncm IN 1891 a government Inspect
or. just returned from the district, |
expresses his surprise that the loco
motives plying to and from the PEE
troleum zone are still being fired with
costly coal.
The peat deposits Of Terra del
Fuego are declared to contain mex
supplies Of that rnei nut
with scarcity of coasting vessels and
The difficulty of securing labor for
hat bleak region, 1t is more than
doubtful whether 1t VIII ever pay OF
wood there is an enormous supply,
cut Il grows In the remote and gem
rally insalubrious regions.
as for American coal, the freight
'harged 90 shillings per ton. rules IL
nut of consideration, in view Of the
act that the British product is ship
red at $50 ton. This can be done
BECAUSE freighters are sure of picking
lp profitable charters in the River
Platte for England and France
To give an idea of the manifold
vays In which the lack OF fuel affects
he currents of commerce, 1t Is suf-
icient to note that the great hotel
roprietors have met and elaborated
BON the best course OF action in view
[ the Increased Kitchen and laundry
Expenses, which are nearly double