New Britain herald., 1918-12-03
new ENGLAND FUEL
BOSS is ACCUSED
Director StOrroW Charged With
Catering to Coal Dealers

| eulOS1Zed ana crltlSeQ curing yeSCSE-
| days session of the city council as a
result of his refusal to furnish in
! formation secured in his capacity as
fuel administrator, to the city council.
Councillor +. J. w. Ford, chair
man of the committee on necessities,
at the conclusion of the meeting
stated that he was endeavoring to
show that a coal trust existed in the
city of Boston and that he had
sought to secure information which
would prove this fact. Inasmuch as
he was not able to procure this from
Mr.. StorroW, it was his determination
to petition the Legislature of 1919 for
a thorough investigation into the coal
situation of the city along the lines
of that being made by a legislative
recess committee into the fish in
dustry.s
The storm in the council meeting
broke when a letter from Councillor
Storrow, written in his capacity of fuel
administrator, and directed to Presi-
dent Collins, was read. In this Mr..
Storrow explained that what informa-
ton he possessed as to the amount of
coal delivered to individual coal deal
ers of Boston and the amount paid
therefor came to him as confidential
matter in his capacity as fuel admin
istrator appointed by the President of
the United States.
Mr.. Storrow, in discussing the fuel
situation for the city yards, explained
that Mayor Peters wanted Is, 900 tons
of anthracite coal, and he took the
matter up with the Anthracite COM
mittee of Philadelphia, which retort-
ed that the city should secure it's sup
ply from the independent dealers.
which would have the effect of in
creasing the price by rs cents ton.
Il wrote back to the committee that
this coal was intended to help the poor
people of the city. 1t seemed to me
that they, if anyone, were entitled to
the lowest prices. I said that If the
committee did not see fit to let mo
have the coal 1 would appeal to DR..
Garfield. AS a result the coal sold to
the city was at the very lowest price
available under federal regulation"
said Mr.. Storrow.
He said that they had but recently
learned that the city had traded some
Of it's coal for wharfage privileges.
THAT was the first I knew of it." he
remarked. ut seems to me it was a
mistake. 1t is something, however,
over which had no control, and had
nothing to do with.
"Counci1or Ford intimates that I
am working for the coal dealers. I
will say simply that If that were the
case I would not stay on the job one
second. I have neglected my bust
ness two years. Why should 7 work
for the coal dealers? Why not work
for myself?'
ocIy
any good reason why Mr.. Storrow
should not answer the questions put
to him by the city council, and the
latter replied that he had had to do
with more than $500 cities and towns
in New England, over 800 of them
being in Massachusetts. There were
fuel committees in each community.
They recommended the amounts to be
delivered to the various dealers, the
prices and other proceedings, and the
administrator was obliged to depend
to a large extent upon their recon-
mendat tons.
Mr.. Storrow said that it had not
seemed to him that this great jury Of
hundreds of thousands of men could
all be wrong He said that he had
not depended entirely upon the Boston
committee in connection with tho
gave out the information sought by
Councillor Ford he saw no place
where the line could be drawn to stop
him from giving out all the confiden
tiaA information in his possession.
He asked: why not get the infor-
nation first hand, instead Of second
hand, through me? I, apparently,
have not the confidence of Councillor
Ford, nor do I ask it. My aim has
been to get all the coal I possibly
could into New England. The bitumi
nous situation is practically cleared
ND. but in anthracite we are still run
ming close.
'The more efficient dealer, large
and small, has not needed my assist
ance to any extent. My care has been
for the less aggressive dealer and his
custom ers. ] have made visit after
visit to Philadelphia and sent many
kilograms and wires to hold up the
interests of the inefficient ones. | have
had hard work securing the necessary
COAL for such districts as South Boston
and Dorchester, for instance.
1.-TWO months ago [ went to Phila-
delphia and ordered so tons Of coal to
be sent to me daily, later increasing
this to 100 tons daily, and it has been
up to my office to see that this coal
was distributed This, you must under
stand, does not increase the al1otm emit
to New England by one ton. 1t means
simply that I diverted coal intended
for one dealer, probably the more eff
ficient dealer. and turned it over to
the one who was not so we'll able to
take care Of his orders"
Councillor Hagan made lengthy
speech in which he took the position
that, instead of Mr.. Storrow being
criticized he should have the COM
| mendation of every member of the
council