The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-29
EUROPE ASKS COAL,
BUT HOLDS SHIPS
Vessels Are Employed in Car
rying Cargoes Paying
Higher Rates.
MUST HELP THEMSELVES
Shipping Board Man Says
Countries Must Furnish
Craft for Transport.
Special Despdfch 10 THE Sun.


wAsHrNaToN, Sept. 2s.-with practi-
cally all Europe crying to America for
coal to save millions from freezing and
to keep industry going the European ma
| tons are using their own ships in the
more profitable trades in competition
with our new merchant marine. leaving
Uncle Sam to carry the less profitable
coal cargoes
report on the coal situation presented
10 the Shipping Board by H. Y. Saint,
head Of the export coal department of
the division of operations.
The export makes 1t plain that the
European coal situation has not been
exaggerated and that the need is des-
perate. But Mr.. Saint points out that
even II the Shipping Board could de-
vote the necessary vessels to carry coal
to Europe's ports while the countries in
terested have their vessels out on more
profitable cargo the shortage could not
be made up from American coal mines
He says that European countries should
do something TO help themselves.
To avert a world shortage America
must export S1,000.000 tons of coal. The
nations pre-war exports were less than
20,000,000 tons. To make UP the short
age this country would have to export
within the next few months more than
four times as much coal as it ever
exported in an entire year. There is
not enough ship tonnage available and
Mr. Saint finds that with the demand
for ships for the trebled food exports
an extra million tons month for coal
would tax shipping beyond its utmost
limit.
Mr.. Saint says that even the extra
million a month would be of no avail in
relieving the menace to life in Europe
which is growing with the approach of
cold weather. His report In part reads
ut would seem cognizance must be
taken by the Shipping Board Of this
situation and something should be done
TO bring European tonnage into this
work of distributing coal to European
ports. The statistics compiled by this
department show that Italy is practi-
cally the only European Government
which is extensively using its own YES
sells in carrying coal from the United
States for Italian relief. In July twenty
Italian vessels sailed from American
ports with coal. You will notice that Nor
wegian, British and Greek ships were
plying in the Italian trade, which to-
day is considered profitable one. At
the same time the Shipping Board was
having demands made on 1t to carry
coal to Greece, Switzerland and the
Scandinavian countries, as well as to
South America.
VERY heavy demands are being made
on the Shipping Board to carry coal to
Denmark. Our tabulation shows that
no Danish vessels are carrying coal to
Denmark, but a number of Danish ships
are carrying coal from American ports
to South America, which is a profitable
trade. when the return cargo situation
Is taken into account. II will be noted
that Norwegian and italian vessels are
under charter to carry coal to Gibraltar
when the needs in their own countries
are great.
"In view of the fact that the Shipping
Board cannot meet the demands being
made on II, in view also of the fact that
out vessels are now being used to relieve
distress in Europe where the distress is
greatest and relief most urgent. II seems
imperative that the European nations
which are facing coal famine should
do something to relieve the situation by
placing some OF their own tonnage in the
American coal trade, even though that
trade Is less profitable than the ones on
which these vessels have been placed to
compete with the new fleet of the United
States Shipping Board
From the analysis made by Mr.. Saint
II appears certain that the people Of
France, Belgium, Holland Italy. Dem
mark, Norway. Sweden, Spain and
Switzerland will be among the ones that
must suffer most, and that the shortage
will fall with no less weight upon Ger
many. Austria, Hungary, including
Czecho -Slovalda and Jugo -5lovalia- The
total coal requirements Of the world next
winter have been placed by this au-
thority at 1881 900 tons. of which s7,-
723,o00 tons can be supplied by countries
other than the United States.