Evening star., 1918-01-04

Washington coal dealers will
have twenty-four hours from 8
o'clock tonight in which to save
themselves from having their
business taken over and admins
tered by the, United States gov
.ernment.
Within that twenty-four hours
they must form among themselves
"a central organization and place
under its control all their re-
sources of coal, equipment and
organization. ANY dealer who-de-
iciines or fails TO enter into this
co-ordinating organization viii
have his supplies of coal cut off
and his equipment will be COM
mandeered and utilized for pur-
poses of the common pool.
This is the ultimatum which John l..
Weaver, federal fuel administrator for
coal dealers at meeting he has called
for O'Clock this evening at the Builders
Exchange. There will be no argument
or compromise or discussion Of other
plans. The dealers are not called to-
gether for the purpose of conference.
but to be told what they must do if they
would save their businesses from con-
hscation. He already has perfected ar
rangements with the District govern
rnent ne will tell the coal men, to act
promptly at the expirati of the twen-
ty-four hours. unless they have acted in
the meantime.
Last Chance to Make Good.
Mr.. Weaver will express the hope that
the dealers will comply with the condi-
tons laid down and avert the necessity
of the government going into the coal
business, but he will Impress upon them
that the limit has been reached of vio-
alton of fuel administrator regulations,
of unfair distribution of coal and Of
profteering at a time of great public
suffering.
The proposed co-ordinating organiza
ton. if the dealers decide to form one,
is TO be an experiments last chance
extended them of making good with the
public. II it fails. II by acting together
they do not succeed in rendering serv-
ice which they have not rendered acting
separately. then the government will
step in and take over the entire busi-
ness of distributing coal in the National
Capital. and conduct it under direction
Of the fuel administration and the Dis
trict Commissioners.
Commercial Delivery Cut Off.
Things moved rapidly today in the
ioint efforts of Fuel Administrator
weaver. the national fuel admlnistra-
ton and District Commissioner Brown
low to get coal into the homes of shtv-
ering Washington residents. Mr.. Weav-
er sent outsan order to all coal dealers
that until further notice, no coal may
be delivered by them to any hotel,
apartment house. store, office building,
manufacturing plant. church or theater.
The rule applies to soft coal well as
hard. The purpose of the order is to
force dealers to supply the domestic
needs of the people He is determined
that coal wagons shall not be used for
hauling fuel to ice-mak king plants while
ice is forming in homes where there is
sickness and suffering. :
The order does not mean that the hotels
and churches and commercial institutions
are to be cut off from coal. They may
| have all the soft coal they need, but they
must haul IL Win tnelr own teams or ar
range 10 have it hauled by teams not he
/ longing to coal dealers. Before Mr.
Weaver issued the order he obtained from
| A L. Snead. coal distributor for the ma
| tional fuel administration a promise that
ample supplies of soft coal would be KEEP.
| at not less than three public dumps Any
church. theater or business establishment
not able to get coal from dealers from
| whom their supplies have been coming in
| the past can obtain 1t by applying to the
/ local fuel administration for an order on
/ the stock at these public dumps provided
| the applicant is prepared to haul the coal
away.
/ Promise More Hard Coal.
The national fuel administration to-
day promised early relief from the
/ hard coal shortage AS a preliminary
step il requested all government de-
partments which are burning hard coal
/ 10 substitute soft coal and release any
| anthracite they may have in stock for
domestic purposes As permanent
measure OF relief it was announced