Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-15
STEP IS EXPECTED
TO SECURE AMPLE
D. c. COAL SUPPLY
Commissioners Committee
May Take Up Matter
with |. c. C.

First steps in a definite campaign
to secure ample coal to supply con-
sumers in the District of Columbia
during the winter. and to rush quaint
ties of coal here Immediately. will be
taken by the District coal committee.
appointed by the Commissioners. with
in a few days. it was learned today.
What form this action would take
and what argument would be involved
was not learned. but it was considered
probable the committee would take up
the matter direct with the Interstate
Commerce Commission in order to re-
lieve the admitted serious situation.
E. c. Graham. chairman of the COM
mittee, made the point today that a
serious shortage of coal in Washing
ton during the winter will slack up
work in the government departments.
with a consequent tremendous loss in
time and money to the government.
He said the situationj is far more
and that unless operators in nearby
West Virginia and Pennsylvania be-
gin very shortly to send large guam
titles of coal to dealers in the District
of Columbia the first cold weather
will find the city unprep red and will
cause suffering
/ Necessary to Nation.
Il consider government employees
fully as necessary to the nation as
he vessels operated by the Navy De-
partment. Mr.. Graham said today
Yet the Navy is securing ample sup
plies of bunker coal. while Washing
tonians have far less than their
actual needs. A sudden cold wave
would cause suffering in Washing
ton today
Mr.. Graham said that normally deal
ers in nearby states do not begin
sending large quantities of coal into
the District of Columbia until Sep
TENDER l. This year not one-twen-
tieth of the normal amount has been
fsent here and the result has been that
Washington is practically coalless
There is said to be slightly more than
1000 tons of coal on dealers dumps
in the city. and dealers are rationing
out their stocks to individual con-
sumers not allowing any one con
sumner to get six tons. when by appor-
tioning out the coal on hand, he
should be allowed but two tons This
rationing system permits practically
every consumer to have small
amount of coal on hand. but does not
permit purchase of enough coal for
a winters supply.
Mr.. Graham today said he feared
| operators are delaying too long send
.
sets in dealers will find it increasingly
dimcult to make deliveries and in
case or heavy snowfall delivery diff
hcuitles viii be the same as last year.
Wnen heavy SHOWS practically stopped
delivery of coal.
stock Very MemSer.
Even now. Mr. Graham said. stocks
in the northwest and midwest are
very meager, notwithstanding the
priority order that has favored those
sections for the past two months. In
case their coal stocks are not larger
W!tnln a very short time, the com
m'ttee may go to the Interstate Com
merce commission with the plea tina,
the welfare of the government do
Ponds on the comfort of it's emnIovss
and that therefore coal for household
use IN Washington is just as neces-
sary as coal for manufacturers in the
west. N
While Washington is not a mann
featuring city, Mr.. Graham said the
government business conducted here
places that business in the essential
class. and. although the government
departments themselves NAV get
enough coal. proper care of the en-
/, ployes while not on duty is fully as
necessary as ample heating Of the rooms
/, in which they work
Receipts of coal in the District yes-
terday were below normal AT this t;noa
of year. and receipts today were mot
expected to be much larger Lack If
: large receipts is believed to be indjca.
tive of the fact that either operators
do not consider Washington industries
essential or else they believe cold
weather VIII not come here so soon as
in the west. For this reason, Mr.. era
ram believes dealers are waiting too
long before starting to send large
quantities of coal here.