The Washington times., 1918-07-30
SPEED COAL
SH|PMENTSTO
ALLAY FEAR
OF SHORTAGE
ny BILL PRICE

Coal Is not coming into WashinB-
ton in quantities sufficient to allay
worry among consumers; nor is 1t
arriving at q rate to enable caol
dealers to come anyways near filling
orders placed with them in the last
Tour months. Coal sufficient to NIL
one-third of the tonnage ordered
Jones, the new local coal admins
to be coming faster to make the peo-
pie who remember last winter. feel
comfortable.
The ray of hope is found in the
promise made today by Frank G.
Jones, the new local caol admins
TRAITOR, that there will be no repeti
ton OF last winters awful struggle
for fuel, and to the fact that Mr..
since April 1 has arrived It ought
coal arrivals here.
Mr.. Jones is just about the most
modest coal administrator in the
country. I'm not hunting the lime
light or credit for anything we are
doing or trying to do" he earnestly
declared to The Times representa-
tive. "Give the credit to Ben Wood
run He deserves ii. He knows the
coal situation in Washington better
Inan any other man / know"
woodruff was the chief assistant
TO John Weaver, who was glad to
get out Of the game here. Woodruff
remains with Mr.. Jones in the same
position, with offices in the Wood
ward building.
What I am striving to do" went
on Mr.. Jones, 'is to handle the Wash
lngton situation satisfactorily, so
that this city, the great workshop of
the nation and practically of the
world now, may not bes Handicapped
IN lts war activities by shortage of
coal In the homes of Government
workers and all citizens"
Plenty of Troubles of His Own.
MI. Jones faces troubles without
end. He is up against about the
same proposition John Weaver had
TO face, although he has definite as
surances from the big fuel chief, DR..
Garfield, that Washington will be
given enough coal to prevent repeti-
ton Of last winters scenes.
Mr.. Jones no doubt realizes, though,
that assurances will not keep houses
warm and that coal is the only thing
that will do it. There is the satisfac-
tion that the fuel administration is
highly organized now and prepared
TO cope with another winter. Last
many lessons that will be of value.
Washington's Coal Allotment.
The consumption of anthracite coal
in the District between April 1, 1916,
and April 1, 1917, at the beginning of
the war, was about SOC, 900 tons. Be-
cause of the great increase in popu-
lation the national fuel administra-
tton decided to allot to the District of
Columbia for the coal year beginning
April 1 last $4,000 tons. It was de-
cided that even this amount would
fail below the necessities unless the
local fuel administration is able to
bring about an increased use of BIZ
luminous coal in business establish
ments and large dwellings. Messrs.
Jones and Woodruff are working on
this every day, encouraging the use
of a mixture OF buckwheat, anthra-
cite and bituminous, which has been
found satisfactory in other cities.
The struggle ahead for Mr.. Jones is
to get as much Of the annual allot-
ment as possible before winter sets
in Washington people early in the
spring followed to the letter the pleas
of the Fuel Administration to put in
their orders for next winter. There
IS now listed with Mr.. Jones' office
10000 residences that long ago or
dered coal for next winter The or
ders aggregated 100000 tons. None
are from apartments.
The instructions to coal dealers
were to deliver to consumers two
thirds OF the orders before winter be-
gins, leaving the other one-third for 1
delivery during the winter.
Many of the dealers obtained an
Sdea that they were to give to GUS
toners only two-thirds of the total
orders during the entire year. Mr..
Jones said that was a mistake. Con
sumers were supposed to have or I
dered only enough coal to carry them |
through, and they would get this |
amount in full, but only two-thirds OF
II during the summer.
The Arrivals of Coal.
There will have to be a great speed |
anr I'M Of coal arrivals for the Dis