Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-06-24
COAL SHORTAGE
On WAY; GOVT.
SAYS BUY NOW
May Be Repetition Of 1918
Conditions Next Winter Says
Geological Survey.
MINES IDLE WITHOUT ORDERS.
Those Who Delay Ordering
Longer May Not Get Their
Fuel Later On.

The United States Geological Survey
{ announces from Washington Inc prob.
ability II another general coal short
age nest NIL md winter The an
nonneement IS asea, the Survey
states. npeu nation uidc study 81
conditions III the bltuininons field
Unless steps are taken at once, the
Survey says q raee lie mines npon
u bas!s Of Increased production there
Is every prospect IL Il repetition 10
some degree of The situation thai pre-
vailed ii the United States during the
Winter or ial7.ls.
The only way production can be atlm-
nlated AZ the present Time. II Ii sai.l. III
4 by placing orders with the mines for
coal which VIII be needed later On.
Production during The first five months
of the senr, reads lie statement. fell
5j71.as.s2 Oo0 net tons. Or approximately
aa5cs below production during ftr first
i've months Of 1918. Mines ara proInc-
ling conl now III the rate IT franl $3.50.
90 ii s,5o0,Oo0 TONS u week All, aver
age output 81 l0.aODOon TINS week
must lie maintained from Iune / III
january j next II me eouuirys esti.
tnatei moods ns 5D0.OVoNsp tons this
year are d he met
Evil II Delayed Orders
At rs time during this year has tha
rate og i,rsnsnFtion apssronehetl tlg ~
aaired t0nnage Tie tendency an tha
isart 81 buseFs 10 He'll III plaeIng their
orders II limiting production. III the
Hlaes eannot state cs,aI ii tlle I,las III
production. and vhen me rush 81
orders for tiae winters nee.is CONES
next Yaii theg0 II grave danger sl.at
she nllues. with depleted labor Fnrres
AMI the probability Of less adequate
transportation VIII ~ uuable III meet
Tie demands Tie result ii such sis-
uatsDn would he al insufficient suppIy
FOR the requirements Of domestic con.
sunscrs, public utilities and industrial
users generally
III il believed that requirements for
3 fgf9a ANtAft NNttua ~ 9uNAsfl BtAstufsstlts
10 Fuel Administrator Garfield. will
he about 5l0.000.OOo tons of bitumluons
coal, 81 which approximately aO.O00.OO0
IONS have been used from stocks accu-
mulated Inst year. leaving 5O0,O00,tOO
tons to be produced Of this 5OO,0s "
n 90 tons It's. 0O0. lG0 toms were proeluc-
ed during the hrst FIVE months. lenving
II D., 600 900 tons 70 be produced IN the
u remaining 80 weeks. or an average or
10.TO1. GEO tons week.
Titus far this year production has
ty@en ut the rate of 8.2O0.OO0 tons a
week, In 1918 production WIS at the
4 rite of II. 100000 tons d week.
"Tbls production viii be difficult of nc.
cornplishncnt The capacity If operat-
Ing mines ut the present time with labor
now on tlie payroll II about 1000 lower
fllnn II was last year. This deficiency
may be made up III pnrt or wholly II
Il the mines have orders sufficient to run
them five or six days week unless the
threatened exodus Of forelgn-Dorn labor
occurs
May pc Car Shortage.
''Present wage agreements between
4 operators and sinners expire with
tile proclamation of peace by the Pres
Il islent. A suspension Of mining oper-
i atoms while ilesy wage INCREMENT Is
being negotiated would Of courBe, seri-
ously interfere with the production or
eoai and IL tt should occur during the
fall would cause d panic among buyers
1 and consumers of Goa"
nt,lF
this or any other contingency, fuel ud-
i ninIstratIon ofiiclaIs say. Tile firm or
individual who wants to be sure az Mn
adequate coal supply next winter enn
! be certain by buying coaI now There
I IS no other WY such assurance
can be Obtained. Transportation also
promises To be limiting factor II the
food tide OF demand comes 81 time
| when the conntry's record crops are
being carried In some districts IL
would appear certain that. notwith-
standing the utmost endeayors Of the
1 Railroad Administration and the util-
ization OF lis experience last fall. ear
shortage viii be cause limiting bifu-
mlnous coaI production, and for that
reason Ii ii predetermined whether the
expected production OF JsDU,VOO,uOO tons
can be attained this year
Shortage of labor already rs q fac
tor that Is cutting down the output IN
some coal producing sections. accord
ing To the Surveys report The opera
tors report that from 10000 - 40,OO0
goreIgn-born miners expect to return 10
Europe as soon as they can get pass
ports and that many have already re-
turned. II continued this movement
/ will be capable Of producing but one
1 result reduction of the amount OG
1 eoslI mined ii districts where the Misc
labor IS largely foFrign-born. and thege
! are many rich districts.
He who needs coal should hesitate
10 longer. Now II Tie time s0 bay
eoai. --4--A