New-York tribune., 1918-01-15
Where Blame Belongs


The impulse of the fuel administration
to shut up theatres and motion picture
shows at 10 o'clock as coal-saving meas
ure is a sign of panic. Having failed,
first, to keep coal production at it's maxi
mum, and, second, to procure an ef-
ficient and equable distribution of the
existing coal supply, it looks about fran
tlcally, using it's eyes only, and because
lights are easy to see it proposes to save
the situation by making one electric bulb
to burn where two burned before, or cut
ting down the time in which any may burn
at ALL By being spectacular it produces
an impression, but very little coal is
thereby saved. Some psychological eff
feet may be achieved, and that, of course,
has value; but, what is much more I'm
portant for the fuel administration, pop
ular attention is DETECTED from primary
causes.
There was actually no need for such
shortage of fuel as to entail physical
hardships upon people or menace essen
tial industries.
We are suffering for lack Of coal, first
because of the unwise decision of the Coun-
ell Of National Defence last summer that
transferred the then surplus to the North
west and which upset the delicate balance
Of distribution; second, by Secretary
Bakers reputation Of the arrangement
made by Secretary Lane with the coal pro-
ducers and the fixing of a lower price,
which made it impossible to mine certain
high cost veins, thereby cutting down pro-
ductlon 10 per cent at the time of wear
railroads could have moved vastly larger
tonnage; third, through the improper use
OF priority orders to the railroads. result
ing In reduction Of their CARRYING ca
! pacity of from 25 to 40 per cent.
And now, with the consequences to face.
the fuel administration, as we have said
falls into a panic and would unlight the
streets and pounce upon the conspicuous"
use of fuel in theatres 1t has not pro-
vided itself with the information by which
to determine how, given the awkward
and unnecessary circumstance, fuel might
be most effectively saved in the largest
quantities with the minimum Of hardship
For instance, has it thought of the brew
cry? The coal that could be saved bv
closing the theatres at 10 o'clock is neg
ligible. But the brewcrics consume cnor
nous quantities of both grain and fuel
We mention it for purposes of ilustra-
tion only.
The Internal Revenue reports for 1917
show that there were brewed in New York
State during the year 9,535, ,744 barrels oe
beer. This, reduced to pints, makes 2,365.-
S56,5l2 Mr. Z. D. Leach, Assistant Food
Administrator of Ohio, investigated this
situation some time ago. and the figure,
which he issued show that the YEARLY
output of beer averaged a consump-
tion Of approximately one pound of coal
to each pint of beer. Now, taking these
figures for the entire state, this would
amount to 1,1S2,923 tons of coal for the
year, or 3,24O tons per day during the
year This coal would heat 131 500 homes
with an allowance of 100 pounds per dav
Tor period of six months, which is more
than the ordinary period in which heat is
required. In other words, it would heat.
for that period all of the homes REQUIRED
in a city of 65S,000 people,
1t may not be choice between "moyies"
and beer, but if it comes to that we rec
ommend saving the "movies" and putting
the blame where it belongs.