Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-09
STRICT ECONOMY
IN USE OF COAL IS
BEGUN IN DISTRICT
Offices, Apartments and
Manufacturers Comply
With Fuel Order.

Office buildings. department stores
Washington today began promptly to
observe the order of the fuel admins
tration to curtail all necessary lights
and to reduce coal consumption to a
minimum.
Engineers from virtually every de-
day in the conference room of the
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation, in The Star building, to dis
cuss Ways and means of reducing
the consumption of fuel in the stores
| in compliance with the order of the
fuel administration.
The meeting was called at the in
stance of Charles J. Columbus. gen.
eral secretary of the merchants or
ganiZation. He laid before the con-
ferees the order of the fuel admins
tration and told them the necessity
of obeying it in every detail, in order
to prevent Washington from suffering
seriously from the coal shortage.
Superintendent of Office buildings
throughout the city will observe the
order eliminating. as far as possible
unnecessary lights at pm Retail
stores. it was learned. will take nc
definite action until they have been
ing their illumination to a sixhour
day.
Heat Turned on of Cars.
Following the action of the fuel adj
ministration, heat was today turned
off in every street car in this city to
conserve coal. This action was de-
cided at conference in the Dis
trict building between Commissioner
BrOwnlow and officials of the Potomac
Electric Power COmnanv
The heatleSs car order will apply to
the Capital. Traction Company as well
as the Washington Railway and Elec-
trio Company. ]. H Hanna. general
manager of the Capital Traction Com
pany, said today that as a result of a
coal conservation campaign which
has been in progress for more than
six months. the street car company
last month consumed 800 tons of coal
less than in November. 1918.
The fuel administrations order also
cut down the use of all unnecessary
lights. No ornamental lights. white
way" or other unnecessary street
lights. electric signs or bi!lboards or
window displays are to be operated
according to the ruling. This does
not affect street lighting. held to be
necessary for the safety of the public
Must Extfnsuish Lights.
Although many merchants have vol
uhtdiiIJ their WINDOW and
advertising lights in Washington dur
ing the last three or four days, the
fuel administrations ruling makes it
obligatory for every store to ex-
tinguish unnecessary lighting.
Once buildings today began to OBJ
serve the order affecting the heating
OF structures of this kind In MANY
buildings the temperature was kept
down to s. degrees. At night, when
the on1ce buildings are not generally
IN use. only enough is permitted to
prevent the pipes from freezing.
MAI. Pullman. superintendent of
police, today issued the following or
der to members of the department.:
Save fuel. The coal situation is
serious. Read the daily papers for
details. Cooperate in every way with
the government in the movement to
save fuel"
M. NJ. Mahoney. secretary of the Ca
madam war mission, in Washington
today. stated that coal shortage in
Canada is so seriously effecting Cana
dian railways that the crack trans
continental train of one of the
largest roads is being Cancelled. to-
gether with thirty-four other trains.
involving total saving of 1873
train miles per week, and effecting a
saving of 5000 tons of coal per
month. according to the Railway As
ISOLATION of Canada.
Big Annual Saving.
With this additional cut on the
Canadian Pacific railway the total re-
duction of passenger train service in
Canada to date. as result of the
America coal strike, amounts to 324,-
900 passenger train miles per mouth
or 3,S40.000 per year. This represents
a saving of coal at the rate of 240, 900
tons per annum. The reduction is
equal to 91S per cent of the total
steam passenger train mileage of the
Commanding officers Of camps, posts
and stations have been directed by
the War Department to cooperate
with the civil authorities in the con-
servation of coal by saving fuel in
every way practicable in their COM
mands. 1t is reported that Camp Gus
ter, Mich. has made a saving in fuel
consumption of more than so per cent
by concentrating troops in contiguous
areas.
Economy In Eastern Region.
A total reduction of 30.946 train
miles per day in the eastern region
will be brought about by the elimi-
nation of trains ordered by the rail-
road administration. it was announced
today.
In the Allegheny region a reduction
of 1850 train miles per day will be
brought about by the curtailment of
train schedules, according to figures
submitted today to Gerrit Fort, chair
man of the division of traffic of the
railroad administration.
Production of coal yesterday
throughout the country was 43.75 per
cent of normal, reports received early
today indicated. This means a figure
approximating 100000 tons. it was
stated. and is slight Improvement
over figures reported for any day since
the beginning of the coal strike.