The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-08-05
COAL SHORTAGE IS
PREDICTED FOR NEXT
WINTER BY EXPERTS

! CHARLESTON. w. Va. Aug H.
Threats Of an impending fuel famine"
voiced many weeks nEn 10y IN" National
. Coal Association, government author
! ilicS and individual coal operators. APP
pear about TO hc r'alI%'d.
With 4 car ShortaE" that is gradually
! Increasing and many mines receiving
! loss than 30 Per cent Of their require
mcntS Of rolling stock. and many other
causes contributing to a reduced ton
mage. tn" situation now appears To b"
much more than efforts Of operators TO
! 81 uUlatc summer luyinE
! Tho rcpurtS Of IL" United states
Geological Survey sustain tho f"r"cas'@
TOT the coal operators. Production or
! hituminouS coal on August is ap-
! pr"NimatcIy S5.OO0.ONn tons short Of
| production for the same period Of 1918.
asd The daily average production con-
tInu"s about 500.U tons less than laS'
year.
Shortage In Europe.
| The foreign situation has aggravated
t"nnag" conditions in tn" C"Il fields or
III" United States ash coal Producers ar"
preparing for At least {" hnO .0"0 tons OF
export shipments. England. Franco.
Italy and South American countries Will
consume at least that t"nutE" from tn"
! American mines. Th" situation in Eng
| land is aCut" and forecasts for IN" pres
Ont year show n decline in production IN
comparison with tho pr"-war period.
: France has not an adequate supply Ut
coal in normal times. and with her
mines destroyed must import coal Tor
! Industrial consumption. Italy's prob
lem is still more pcrplcxinC that nation
normally rroduinS about 100000 tons
! Of inferior coal n year.
/ To cncuurag" production IN" Federal
Railroad Administration has i&su"d nm
order to place in operation IN the East
! crn car pool tho lG.0nh cars constructed
under order Of IN" administration md
which have remained i'll" ou railr"a /
! sdctraCks. Chesapeake and Ohio rail-
! road officials wvr" directed 10 plac" -
, 0Q0 Of these cars in operation. Will"
; J 900 hav" been allnCatcd to tho BALI
moro and Ohio road. TIL" Pennsylvania
lines will rcc"iv" several thousand Of
th"s" cars when they hay" been num-
h"rcd and s;cncil"d 10y tn" railroad adj
miuistratiop. Thrs" cars Will 10 plnc"d
( in the service" under tn" pr diem aSr"''-
mcnt which has existed
! Cars in Poor Condition.
Will" il will result IN stimulating
: production. IN" supply Will not y" lar:''
enough to avert n shortage Of coal dur
ing tho winter, for thcr" are numb" +
/ OF other reasons contributing to de.
creased coal production.
Secretary ". II. Cunningham, of the
West Virginia Coal Association, r"Cl'"S
! that the reports made to the ASSOCIATION
show m increased number Of cars In
fnpCratlun on tn" railroads this year. hut
I he shows that tho number of had order
! cars MAX" tn" greatest accumulation in
/ tn" history of tho rallr"hdS. The re-
ports Of the Chesapeake and ohio rail-
road. showing %l.urn cars on that SyS-
! ten, disCl0SCS that $500 cars are not in
! operation and marked in bad order IN
the Kanawha and MlcmLau ana the Bal
! limurr and Ohio roads. trunk lines ira
| ycrsing tho West Virginia fields. lbia
J per cent and IL per cont. respectively.
! of their total number Of cars are bad
order equipment.