New-York tribune., 1918-01-17
Roads Blamed
For Shortaqe
OfCoal Here
Only One of 3 Tons That
Reached Docks Unloaded.
Say Fuel Directors
Three 8-Hour Shifts
On Piers Is Urged
Administrators Declare Re,
lief Can Come Only
From Washington

From Washington
Responsibility for New York's empty
coal bins while hundreds Of thousands
OF tons of coal await delivery from the
Jersey SIDE Of the North River was
placed upon the railroads by Federal
ana c'ty fuel administrators here in a
statement issued last night.
The document, which bears thc s;r-
natures of the state, city and county ad
m'n'strators. cites figures to show that
while the city was threatened with al
most complete industrial paralysis the
railroads were dumping into barges for
delivery only one ton of every three thot
arrived at their docks Two hundred
and seventeen ships are now held in
'ne haroor waiting COAL the statement
Sald he officials urged that the roads
immediately place three shifts Of men
at work dumping coal into harces and
keep their coal handling machinery in
operation twcntyfour hours a day.
ne statement, which was drawn nm
before the arrival of the order closing
an industries for five days. concludes
with the statement that action must
come from Washington in order to
remedy the situation here. Heretofcvc
chet Fuel Administrators Garfield had
insisted that the local administrators
should deal with the New York prob
lens. Pio'-
Fuel Directors Statement
The statement follows:
. mere arc certain facts in connec-
ton with the deliveries of coal in New
ork City not thoroughly understood
by the public
"Attention has been called to the dis
parity between coal delivered at tide
water and coal delivered in greater
New York. The fact is that only por-
t1cn OF the coal delivered at tidewater
ls consigned to Greater New York.
whlle the dumping capacity at the docks
IS utilized. not only for the coal CON
signed to Greater New York. but also
lor that consigned to Long Island and
New England points and for bunker
ccal Tor the steamers waiting in the
harbor, carrying supplies to our own
army and 10 the Allies There are in
the harbor this morning waiting for
cca!' ~ steamers. over 20 per cent of
them loaded and waiting to sail. de-
ayed only by inability to get coal Coal
dumped from these same docks is con-
slsned to manufacturing cities such as
bridgeport, New London, New Haven
/ Fall River Providence, Newport and
Boston. These docks are serving. there
fore, not only Greater New York, but
a national necessity in dumping coal
TOY steamers and local industrial neces-
stiles along Long Island points and in
New England.
During the first fourteen days in
January there was dumped at the docks
u n a fr0 Nt :
per day, of which approximately $4,000
tons were bunker coal for the steamers
and 5000 tons were consigned to Long
Island and New England points, lcav-
ing but 5000 tons for Greater New
York, whereas. the daily bituminous re-
quirements for Greater New York are
10000 tons.' Here is specific illus
tration of the difficulty. No matter
how much coal comes to the piers and
no matter what the towing situation
may be after the coal has been dumped
in the barges, a largely insufficient
quantity of bituminous was dumped
into the barges from docks during the
first fourteen days of this year Dur
ing the same period there was dumped
an average OF 32.A00 tons anthracite
per day. Of which 2E Fer cent was con-
land points. leaving 20,400 tons for
Greater New York. the daily anthracite
requirements being Approximately
1000 tons
Three Shifts on Piers Suggested
There is one remedy for this stu
alton and that is to work tie coal piers
to work either one ten hour shift or
two ten hour shifts. The remedy is to
work three shifts Of eight hours on all
docks continually, having fresh men,
and if these men arc obtained, the
docks could dump over 100000 tons a
day. This has been specifically called
to the attention of the railroads.
"We suggested to Mr.. Smith the ap-
pointment of a director general of
coal docks for New York tidcwater,
since we had no control over the docks
and central and complete authority
over all Of these docks was necessary
in order to cooperate with us in OBJ
tanning the greatest efficiency.
"After sending these recommends
tions. a meeting was had with Mr.
Smith and later with MIR. Smith. the
presidents of the coaI-carrying rail
roads and the members of the fuel adj
stration, and it was agreed by all
the railroad men present that the labor
situation and the extreme weather con-
dtons were responsible for the delay
in dumping. The railroad men pointed
IS cents an hour and the labor per-
formed was hazardous ard extremely
arduous, and that labor preferred to go
into other fields where the pay was
larger and the work easier. At the
time. while the men were working at
the dock during the snow storm of
few days ago, many of them were Of
fercd so cents an hour FOR shovclling
snow, and Immediately accepted and
left the dock work. We have urged
upon the railroads that these docks
I should be operated at their fullest ca
pacty, no matter what the cost.
"'rhc coal is dumped by the railroads
at the docks into barges in some cases
into railroad barges and in other cases
! into privately owned bargcs. In each
case the barges are towed across the
river to grectcr New York--in some
cases by railroad tugs and in other
cases by large towing companies. to
whom the railroads or coal dealers have
contracted their towing.
''ln addition to the labor difficulty at
the docks, there has been a shortage of
tugs. caused by the fact that the
United States has commandeered for
YOUR OPPORTUNITY