New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-01
Coal Crisis Now
Menace to France;
Only Hope Is u. S.
Government Commander.
All Imports and Mer-
chants Close Offices
By FRED 2. PlTNEY

ny hAsb - u -'i -
Paris, May 81 IN endeavoring 20
cope with the coal crisis. VI. Niollette
Minister Of RayitalIlement, has jus,
taken a step which amounts 70 COM
Wandering b. the state all the coal
imported into France. The internal
production had already been com
Wandered. In the last week all coal
importers have received copy OF the
following letter:
Monsieur: | have the honor 70
inform YOU that the authorizations
for the Importation Of coal which
were accorded 20 you for the second
quarter Of 1917. as well as those
which may be accorded to you fyr
the future. henceforth subject to
the following conditions:
The coal that you receive at the
ports must be put by you at the
disposition of my department for
distribution among consumers.
As far as possible, your customers
will be the first to be served from
your stocks Of coal, but IL may be
necessary 20 send your coal 20 other
destinations, iu which case you VIII
supply the customers indicated 20
YOU By this department, either from
your stock on hand or from new coal
as 10 arrives 20 your order. even
though your stock on nand may have
been reserved by you for special GUS
toners or your new coal arriving
may have been ordered for special
customers.
Delegates from this department
will consult with you and furnish
you ahead Of time necessary instruc-
lions for the division OF your car
goes of coal as they arrive, so that
all delay in d.scharging cargoes
from arriving vessels viii be avoided
and coal can be shipped at once from
the ports, either IN barges or by rail
road. as the case may be. In default
Of special orders you viii follow the
instructions previously given IN your
authorization 20 import coal.
THE MINISTER or RANITAlLLE-
MENT.
In many quarters it is believed tina
the result of this letter will be that i'm
porters Of coal will close their Office
and the state will have to take over to
business Of coal importation. IL mIgh
not be bad thing, as the coal situation
could hardly be worse than it Is a
present, and one might hope that Wit
the state running the business Their
would be an end 10 the favortism AM
ex.ortion tha. thrive to-day under th'
present system, which is no system. bu
kind Of frce-for-ali hold up OF
population in dire need.
Before the war France consume
60. 000, 900 tons of coal year, OF which
she produced 40,O00,00O tons and I'm
ported 10000. 900 tons from Belgium
Germany and England. The chief Goa
producing centre of France was ln tn
northeastern departments. now i'm tn
hands Of the Germans. As soon as tn
Germans seized these department
Frances coal production was reduce
to lS,500,o0o tons year, While import
from both Belgium and Germany wer
cut off and she was reduced TO VIVA
she could produce herself and impor
from England. BY intensive mlnin
she raised her own production to
little over 100000 tons a year. an
by economy IN use reduced her demand
TO 400O0,000 tons a year.
Freight Rates Cause Decrease
To supply the excess over home pro
duction a contr:ct was made with Eng
land for 9.O0o.rcO tons OF coal a month
Freight rates were allowed 20 rcgulat
themselves i'm 1914 and 1915. and thu
coal supply was kept M. so that witt
tho universal economy no one suffered
although prices were very high.
Early IN 1916 VI. Scmbat. "a that time
Minister of Public Works. having th'
importation Of coal under his charge
undertook IN conjunction with the Eng
lish government 90 regulate coal frcigh
rates. Coal frcights had reached from
Il shillings 10 80 shillings a ton. VI
Sembat cut item TO - shilllnes
pence a ton. and shippers Immediate
stopped taking coal freight. The I'M
portations fell by December. 1916, q
I.4.l 900 tons month. while the dc
mard had increased on account Of th'
extremely cold winter and the inten
sivc production Of munitions.
There Is an absolute shortage Of Goa
in France to-day Of over 100000 ton'