The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1918-07-10
LOCAL COAL DMiNlSTRATOIS
VISIT STATE ADMINISTRATOR II
Return to I.anr"nS Much Encouraged
over the OTtl0ok for The Ni;ncr.

McSsrs. W. r.. McCucn and Lamar
Smith, local fuel administrators, went
over to Anderson Saturday afternoon
to confer with Mr.. b. B. Gosscit, the
state fuel administrator, in regard TO
fuel supply for this city They were
accompanied by Mr. w E Mcng, of
the l.aurcns Gin & Fuel Company, and
representative of The Advertiser.
The trip was made through the coun
Try by automobile.
On their arrival at Anderson thcv
went immediately TO the Office of Mr..
GoS3ctt, who had Just returned from
conference with Washington Off
cials. After going over the local stu
ation thoroughly and receiving from
Mr. GoSsctt 4 very frank outline of
INC duties and responsibilities Of his
own Office, the local administrators
came away very much encouraged ov-
CT the fuel supply for the city this win
tc". Mr.. Gosscit stated that while il
was probable that the problem which
INC fuel administration had to face
ne coming winter would doubtless be
more difficult 10 solve than last Win
iHr' yet he felt safe in stating that 4
sufficient supply Of coal would be
ln"hcom!nG 10 prevent any suffering.
IhC policy of tho administration, he
said, had been to encourage ,hc man
I L "A ri ~ .i,,,r "a;
pic financial resources, to lay in large
stocks Of coal now 50 that when win
ter approached the demand for fuel
from that source would not be as heavy
as last winter and that transportation
Facilities would not be taxed SO hcavi
~ at that time to meet their needs.
VITA the mills requirements partly
met. ne pointed out, in an emergency
all the available coal in transit could
be diverted from manufacturing plants
10 domestic consumers.
MIR. GossCtt told The Iaurcns admin
iS'rators that large supply of run
of-thc-minc coal was now available
for domestic as well as manufactur-
ing purposes, but it had been the poll
cy or his Office to discourage the pur-
chase OF the former for domestic Dur-
poses because Of the large waste en-
tailed in its use. The coal mines have
been turning ont more OF the run-or-
thc-minc coal than block coal because
they claimed that the margin allowed
by the government for the additional
cost of turning out the latter was not
sufficient to cover it. However, Mr.
Gossott said, since his return from
Washington he felt that the admins
tratiOn would take some action at an
early date to remedy this phase of the
situation and after that is done he felt
that an ample supply Of block coal for
domestic use would be forthcoming.
With this hope. he said, he was still
Withholding his approval of shipment
OF run-of thc-minc coal into this state
in quantities.
In answer to an inquiry from the
local administrators. Mr.. GoSSctt stat
cd that an order had been promulgat-
cd from his Office forbidding the sale
of coal to individuals or groups Of in
dividualS except upon the written aD-
proval OF the local administrators
This, he said, was done in the inter
est Of cquablc distribution Of the sup
ply to be had and to relieve the local
administrators Of much criticism and
confusion. Hereafter, therefore, all
coal sales must go through the hands
Of the regular authorized dealers cX-
ccpt where special permission Is
granted by the local administrators.
The conference OF the local admin
istrators with the state administrator
was purely informal and resolved it.
self toward the end into social meet
ing in which the administrator talk
cd very Interestingly Of the duties
and responsibilities of his Office and
Its ramiiications. He said that he re-
ccivcd notice Of all coal that comes in
TO the state and that ii was almost
impossible for anyone to secure a car
of coal without his knowledge Last
year, he said, all kinds OF schemes
were rcSortcd to by some people to Sc
cure more coal than the administrator
allotted TO them but the schemes were
very quickly discovered. In many cas-
cs, he said, where 1t served the pur-,
pose OF the administrator these schcm-