The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-30
Declares Present Shortage
Cannot Possibly Be
Made Up
NEW ENGLAND MUST
EFFECT BIG SAVING
Man Who Helped Put Through connec-
ticut River Power Project Talks to
Boston Chamber of Commerce, of
Which He is President.


That the present coal shortage can
not under any circumstances be made
up, and that New England is faced with
the absolute necessity of economizing
10 the extent Of some seven million
tons Of soft coal, was one of the many
interesting statements concerning the
coal situation made by President Harri-
man ut last Wednesday s meeting of
the committee Of fifty, says the Cur
rent Affairs, the Boston Chamber Of
Commerce publication, in its issue OF
Jan. 2s. This committee is working
with the committee on membership TO
increase the membership Of the cham
Der, and concerning its effort it is 81.
nifcant TO note that during the meet
ing, which was held at the City clnD,
the fact was brought out that during
the past month one man alone, Harry
A. Wheeler of the Barta Press, had Sc
cured nine new members.
Introduced by Charles H. Davis, the
chairman Of the committee on member
ship, Mr.. Hartman swung into his dis
cussiOn of the coal situation by stating
some cold facts that the soft coal re.
quircmcnts OF 1917. allowing for in
dustrial expansion, were about - mil
lion tons, that We received only about
IS million tons, and that regardless OF
improved transportation service we face
shortage Of approximately seven mil
lion tons.
"lu normal times, be- qid, "New
England stores large amount Of coal
during the summer months, so that usu-
ally, on November /, We have on hand
about nine or l0 million tons. This
explains why the shortage was not
kecnly felt until the first of the year
Now, We are faced with the fact that
curtailmcut il obviously necessary, and
that We must save by economies about
six or seven million tons of soft coal
How much We have saved SO far II
is diflicula to estimate, but the best
guess is that we have cconomized (,
the extent of perhaps three quarters o'
n million tons. IL is therefore cvidcn
that still further curtailmeutS mus
come. and We must accept them Will
the best grace We can.
''Why did the shortage arisc2 Tn
first answer is that no less than % pc
cent of our trouble was due 10 interior
enee with New England 5 water trans
portation, Sixty.six per cent of on
soft coal comes 10y water, from New
port, News, Norfolk, and Batimor,
Usually We have - tugs plying thi
trade Now, with the government
Communicating of tugs for mine-swceI
ing service, We have only 81. Usual,
we have about 30 golfers at worl
Now, four OF these have been takcr
And then, too, one must take into az
count the congestion at the tide-watc
terminals due 10 the condition of tn
railroads. The situation on water tran.
pOrtation, however, should soon in
prove, for 1t is possible that We ma
by next summer have eight new tuu
m service, and it is also possible tina
Mr.. Storrow may be successful in il
ducmg the government to release ten
porarllv five Of the seven tugs con
mandcered by the navy.
IA for the transportation situatio
by rail, il must first bc borne in min
that IS per cent of the freight handle
by the railroads is coal. When ";
broke out, the roads had orders in {,
',o'b NV locomotives, ana these the
had 10 DO without when the secreta,
ut war commandeered 5000 for foreil
service, a whole years output for ;
the American locomotive works. TIL
there arose an actual shortage in
comotiyes; aud this. more than an
thing else, is responsible for the 60
gested condition Of the carriers, Z
freight cars have been rolling less tn;
II per cent OF the time And this $
uatiou has not been improved by {
weather.
IL is hoped and believed that I
transportation situation in general W
yoon show signs of Improvement,
We know, among other things, that T.
thousand locomotives which were d
timed for Russia will now be used
our own rails, as soon as they q
changed over for our narrower gauy
But this must bc borne in mind, ii
throughout 1918 there will be a sho
age of soft coal. We have been