New-York tribune., 1920-10-23
I.C. .C.Prorn1ises.
Coal Supply to
City Utilities
Assurance Made by Federal
Agent Who Confcrs With
Local Board on Most Acute
Fuel Shortage in Years
Priority Order Expected
Believed Shipments Will Be
Diverted From the Middle
West for Relief of East

New York's great public utilities
will not be permitted to suffer from
what Is generally admitted by officials
of the local Gas and electric light and
power companies I, be the most acute
fuel situation in years.
Assurances of an adequate coal sup
ply to prevent serious Impairment Of
the clty's rapid transit and heating
and lighting services were given yes
terday by George w. Elliott, REPRESENT
ing the advisory committeee which has
been charged by the Interstate Com
merce Commission with supervision of
coal supply to the country's utilities.
Mr.. Elliott came from Washington
to confer with the fuel distribution
commlttee recently appointed by Pub
nc service Commissioner Lewis Nixon.
The conference, which was private. was
held in the Offices Of the New York
Edison Company, Fifteenth Street and
Irving Place. Those who attended
were j. w. Lieb, chairman of Mr..
NlNon's committee, and vicc-president
and general manager Of the New York
Edison Company; M. S. Sloan, general
manager Of the Brooklyn Edison Com
pany; Frank Hedley, general manager
OF OF the nterborough Rapid Transit
COHipdHy, ana MY. Elliott,
Inc situation at Washington was
outlined by Mr.. Elicit and the local
committee presented in detail the fuel
problem confronting the public ut;l;tv
corporations of the metropolitan dis
trict.
Will Ask Priority Order
1t is understood that the Washington
committee will ask the Interstate Com
mcrce commission to grant immediate
priority to coal shipments over the
railroads for the local utility concerns
and that the recent order governing
shipments to the Middle West viii be
modified to permit Of greater relief
in the East.
Detailed figures Of the extent of the
local corporations present coal supply
were presented to Mr.. Elliott and
showed that very few of them have
more than a months quota. On Oc-
tcber 19 there were but 447.S72 tons
Of coal in the bins of the New York
utlhty companies According to Com
missioner Nixon there should be at
this time of the year fully 100000 tons
on hand.
Cooperation among the utility COM
panics in distributing their individual
supplies so as to help out those most
short of fuel has been the only means
of preventing a shutdown of some of
the lHgest Of the power houses, not
ably the plants of the Interborough
Rapid Transit On last Tuesday the
II Peterborough had only a two day sup
ply and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company an eleven-day supply.
The New York Edison Company has
thirty one days supply; the Bronx
Gas and Electric Company a supply
that will last twenty-nine days; the
Brooklyn Edison Company fifty ight
days; the Consolidated Gas Company
fortysiX days, and the Brooklyn Union
Gas Company, thirty-seven days. Che
best supplied are the Flatbush Gas
Company, with ninety-three days, and
the greensboro Gas and Electric
Company electrical department), six
ty-eight days supply. The New York
and Richmond Gas Company has abso-
lutely no advance fuel supply. The
coal used by these concerns is btu
minous.
Anthracite Wholesalers Meet
Thirty members of the wholesale ar
thracite trade met yesterday at the
Whitehall Club at the request of
Charles B. Allen, secretary of the New
York Wholesale Coal Trade Associa-
ton, and selected a committee to re-
port on the adVlsablllty or the anthra-
cite wholesalers following the prece-
dent set by the Wholesale Coal Trade
Association several months ago in
adopting resolutions limiting the re-
sale Of coal to wholesalers and limit
ing to 10 per cent the maximum gross
profit on any deal.
The Wholesale Coal Trade Associa-
tion is composed almost exclusively of
soft or bituminous coal wholesalers.
Mr. Allen told the anthracite whole
salers that resolutions of the bitumin-
Gus wholesalers had resulted in reduc-
ing profteering to minimum and
that such speculation is fast being
eliminated altogether
The anthracite dealers will appoint
a committee at another meeting to be
held next Friday, to confer with the
Attorney General in an effort to have
deliveries for this section speeded up.