The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1917-11-27
Fuel Commission Holds Meeting
and Announces Situation
Still Serious.
PEOPLE AGAIN WARNED
Citizens of All Sections Urged to
Use Wood Wherever Possible
and Thus Conserve the Sup.
ply of Coal.


tuel situation in South Carolina is !
quite acute, yet it is being remedied |
and the outlook for the future is !
bright, was the conclusion arrived |
at by the State advisory fuel com
mission, which met here in executive |
session Friday with B. B. Gosssett. |
OF Anderson, State fuel administra-
tor, according to a statement given |
out at the conclusion OF the con-
ference.
The inventories of the fuel dealers
of the State We're taken up at the
conference, which included the
amount Of coal on hand and the i'm /
mediate needs of the various sections
o: the State.@ Plans for relief in !
emergencies and safeguards against
future deficiencies were discussed.
Some Improvement.
Although the fuel situation in
South Carolina is still acute, vet
there is an improvement over condi-
tions which maintained when the
commission met two weeks ago,
stated one of the members. The
commission. he said, finds that, al
though more coal has been shipped
into the State to relieve the emer-
gency and has been distributed at
points where it is most vitally need
ed, 1t must further urge on the peo-
pie to conserve their coal supply and |
more freely substitute wood.
Reports to the commission from
various parts of the State encour-
age the commission to believe that
the situation will be taken care of in
the future and insure adequate sup
plies, particularly have plans already
been formulated and put into prac-
tice to relieve the present emer-
eency.
All Dealers Not Helping.
Some fuel dealers of the State
have not co-operated as fully as they
should with the fuel administration
and have not sent in full reports.
and Administrator Gossett said that
relief cannot be voucnsafed until
these detailed inventories are at his
office. Should any community suf-
fer where these reports have not
been made, he stated, then il will be !
the fault OF the local dealer who
was derelict in his duty and not the /
fuel administration, which is doing
all that it can to equalize conditions. !
Coal experts were present at the
conference, 1t was announced, and
discussed the situation as it affected |
their business and offered assistance |
to the commission in giving relief in |
the present emergency.
A copy of letter from w. B. !
West, chairman OF the fuel commit
tee OF the city OF Columbia, was read .
in which Mr.. West urged that the
dealers limit their sales to one
months supply of coal to one Gus
toner. This letter was given the en-
dorsement of the commission.
Present at Meeting.
Attending the meeting with Mr..
Gossett were: B. II. Geer, of Green
Vile. deputy fuel administrators and
member OF the advisory committee
for distribution to cotton mills; II
II. Watkins. OF Anderson. chairman
OF the advisory commission; Russell
Acree, OF Darlington. member of the =
in charge of the distri-
button to oil mills; Leland Moore
Of Charleston, member OF the COM
mission in charge of the distribution
to public utilities, and Ivy NJ Mauld-
in, of Columbia; John II. Cope. OF
Ramberg; I. c. Strauss, of Sumter,
and l.. A. Meikeljohn, OF Cheraw,
other members Of the commission
George w. Forester. traffic expert
Of Atlanta; G. A. Reese. president OF
the Ciinchfeld Coal Company and
expert coal adviser of the fuel ad-
and Ben Hill Sum-
mers, agent of the Federal Trade
Commission, also attended the con-