Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-11-14
+ tic Purchasing by
Buyers Blamed for Cen
dition Everywhere.
PREDICT OvERPRODUCTiON
AND SLUMP IN PRICE SOON
Public Utilities Fighting for Elk
istencc Now, With Practi,
cally No Supply of Fuel
OPERATORS SAY OPPOSITE
Feeling Too Much Being Exported
Erroneous - Insufficient Amount
to- Cause Embarrassment.

Richmond. in common with neary
all other cities and towns In In.
United States. Is practically without
market coal.
Hundreds OF utilities throusholt
tho United states are totally with
on; coal. and some or the largest Az
but few hours ahead OF 4 shutdown.
It is not Improbable that within the
next few weeks many utilities WI!
he compelled to close, and their Gus
toners he without electric curre..
for power and for lights, and wi.lt.
out gas and water.
Yet the supply OF coal now beine
mined and moved is Officially stase,,
10 be az largo as ut any period IL
the country's history, and there l..
coal enough for all and to spare. (,
fact, coal operators have stated tha:
unless new orders matcrialixc, son,
mines VII! have to close for lack III
business.
This apparent paradox was fu'.
aired during the annual session of tie
National Association OF Railway aud
Utilities Commissioners. held In
Washington during the past wceh
The disposition OF coal and the dis
tr!oution of grain cars proved to D.
the absorbing topic OF debate, whiy;,
was ~ times spicy indeed
Time and again commissioners. to-
gether with representatives OF publ
utilities who were invited to address
the convention, advanced to tho al.
tack on the car conservation polscy
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, which body. Under the Fec,
CuInn,ins act, has assumed turisdis
ton over car supply. Just ms ottc,,
the members OF that commission re.
turned the fire, ana asserted jus
what they would ana would not do
Coal Output I1o0O.0Oo Tons Week.
COMMISSIONER .Ai,chison. tho NOM
her OF the Interstate Commerce Cor,
mission who supervises car Iistribu-
ticn. stated that for the past TOW.
weeks the coal output ot the coua
Try. being mined and moved" to US
his own words. has averaged 12,oOo
oOe tons week, which is equal 40
The production In the peak perioa
or 1917. In the week ended Noren, j,
Der G. which contained All Saint
Day. holiday for many miners, AMI
election day. tho outputiwus 1880
coo tons. Yet two representa- Give,
OF the gas ana electric industries u-
the country stated on tho floor ~
the convention that their situation Is
desperate since they are receiv;pE
only fraction OF the coal they hay
contracted Tor from the mines. a,,d
must soon close unless rc!ict is ,aT
fordea
The natural question is: What b..
comes OF the coal? The only answc,
is that many concerns and intivdus... =.
frightened at the prospect OF cos
shortage, have brought and arc hur.
ing ana storing away spot coal IA
higher prices than the contract fig
rres AT tho mine, and some operator.
are disposinE OF their output In this
manner, making their clients p.ni;
while the market is denuded.
Privilege In Abmed.
Following the switchmcn's strike az
las: April, the Interstate Commcrc.
commission put into effect u car sex-
vice order. granting priority In use
or cars b. public utilities. Commits
si"ner aitchison stated On the flool.
that thia privilege was greatly abused.
Some utilities not only buying fer
current use, but for storage, excharst
anu evca. in some cases, for sale
fhe operation of the order made l.
possible TO oribe a mine to supply
utilities by providing il with car.
under the priority orders. This Il.
turn disturbed the labor situation
since miners would leave employer
did not happen to have contracts with
utilities and go to mines which did
save such contracts and were, there.
iore, supplied with cars.
new service order was prom,,,
sated doing away with such priority.
bnt opening an apparent way Of Sc
curing roller for utility in dire
need OF coal by providing for spcc,a,
permits from the Interstate Commerce
Commission. Utility representatives
al the convention asserted this ordcr
"oes not function at all, and the
cannot get coal they need Commit
Sioner Attchison rctorted with ti.r
assertion that there Is plenty o, cos
being mined and that IL Is oe,py
moved by the railroads, and that no;
q sinsle utility has made gu, a cas-
lnSttying special permit under
existing regulations.
Report Figure. Small
There has bceh SONS fea.;ng IA.
mich coal is being exported, b.
according to tho official figures th!
" iEsnfiicient to prevent every bed
10 america who needs cos, from get
,,hg h. 1t would soen. according Ia
those In touch with the situat;op
that by tho end of tho year thnre
VIII ba surplus. And a aubstasti,t
reduction In nslcc, but II, the 80 Z
time the utiiisiss SIS. tiieYs Isv.s IA