Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-20
COAL MEN HERE
FEAR OPEN MARKET
Supply, on Contract Price,
CurtaiIed, D. c. Dealers
Assert.

Faced with the alternative of going
into the open market and paying
prices for coal which would increas.
the cost to the consumer by severa
dollars per ton, Washington coal
dealers who supply fuel for home use
/ are finding it virtually impossible to
obtain supplies for next winter. ac-
cer1ing to w. w. Griffith, coal mems
representative on the committee ap-
pointed by Commissioner Brownlow
to secure data on the fuel situation
here.
Preliminary investigation of the
causes leading up to the present pre-
dicament of coal men, 1T is stated,
shows that Washington is practically
isolated, while tons and tons of coal
pass by bound for cities which have
been able to secure railroad priority
orders and help from the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
jam ut Brunswick.
| Seven thousand cars of coal. desig-
rated for public utilities and NUM-
lcipal plants are said to be damned in
the yards at Brunswick, Md, about
! fifty-five miles west of Washington. on
| the Baltimore and Ohio, with indica-
tons pointing to a continuation of
/ this congestion for several days.
While coal over the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad could be shipped to
Washington in twenty-fo four hours, the
cars returned to the mines and loaded
again, these 1000 carloads are report
ed to be idle at nearby point.
Cars received at the mines. 1t is
| stated, are ordered to be loaded with
coal designated for public utilities as
| fast as they arrive. and are shipped
to other cities or to New England
and the northwest under orders of
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
while the local dealer is unable to get
| his supply. This is for bituminous
| coal.
Anthracite Held Up.
Anthracite coal, it is stated. is held
up by numerous railroad embargoes
| at certain junction points and by the
mines inability to secure cars with
which to ship the coal.
Public utilities and municipal plants
as a rule, here and elsewhere, are
getting their share and probably will
not suffer. But the dealer who sup
plies anthracite coal for home con-
sumption is up against it, in get
ting his supplies for winter reserve,
the dealers say.
they order it, it is stated, but telling
this to local dealer according to
one OF them, is like waving a red
flag in the face of a bull" 1t is
either a question of securing coal at
contract price, by which it can be
sold to the consumer at $3.50, or GO
ing into the open market and buying
the coal from Independent mines
which will sell it at price to cost
the ultimate consumer $3.50 and $40
per ton.
Limit for Consumer.
At this price, it is pointed out, the
dealer would have hard time selling
it. 1t is believed the consumer has
about reached the end of his ability
to pay for coal at increased prices.
T.. c. Graham, chairman of the coal
investigation committee. postponed
until next week a meeting of his body
scheduled for today. In the mean
time The committeeman will obtain
all possible data on the fuel situation
in Washington and the causes. This
data, it is stated. may be presented to
the Interstate Commerce Commission
OF put before the railroads.
Relief Anticipated.
Some relief, it is stated, may be an
ticipated by the American Railroad
Associations action yesterday in plac-
ing an immediate embargo on move
ment of coal for tidewater except upon
a definite showing that the coal upon
the arrival at ports will be loaded on
board ships with reasonable speed.
The step was taken to reduce the
great accumulation of cars leading to
tidewater. congeSted because of the de-
lay in loading on board ships.
Chairman Willard of the association
of Railway Executives and Col d. b.
Wentz. president of the National Coal
Association, met in conference with rep
resentatives of the commission on car
service, Of the American Railroad As
social ton, tideWater coal carrying lines
serving Hampton Roads and the north
various tidewater coal exchanges and
the American Wholesale Trade Coal As
ISOLATION.
The meeting unanimously agreed, it
is stated, that the only effective means
of adequately controlling the situation
was for the tidewater coal carrying lines
to embargo the movement of tidewater
coal, and simultaneously to provide for
the acceptance of such traffic only upon
permits to be issued by the tidewater
bituminous coal terminal railroads.
MINE WORKERS TO APPEAL.
FORT SMITH Ark August On