The New York herald., 1920-01-28
FRANCE WOULD LIKE
TO GET COAL HERE
But Ban of Fuel Administrator
on Expectation Prevents
Shipments.
WILL TRY TO REMOVE 1T
Experts Studying Quality and Hope
Americans VIII Replace Ger
mans in Supply.
WILL TRY TO REMOVE 1T
lspscial Gable TO The Herald.l }

Especial Gable TO the Hcrdld)
PARIS. Tuesday--Another cloud has ap,
peared on the horizon of the Alexandra
Millerand government. 1t is in the shape
OF a fuel crisis, and is growing more acute
daily. Unless it is solved very soon IL
will constitute n very serious menace tc
the Cabinet. France needs coal and mus;
have It, Frenchmen are calling on the
government to provide it.
Tho only good feature Of the situation
is that the month OF December has beer
checked off the calendar-the coolest
month Of the year in Francs gone
However, the shortage OF coal in France
today Is more pronounced than at any time
since the signing of the armistice- on
November II, 1918, according to a report
of special commission named to study
the situation, and which has just been
made public. 1t says that despite all eff
forts made by the government. OF Clemen-
ceau to increase coal production. the out
put of French mines is forty per cent
below normal 1t declares that the facili-
ties for transporting coal to Paris and
other French industrial centres is on the
point of breaking down.
The consensus is that the Millerand gov
ernment must act Immediately to relieve
this situation: that on it's action to solve
the coal problem will depend the fate of
the Cabinet Frenchmen are demanding
that the government import American coal
and it is probable that the government
Will make strong efforts to obtain it.
Garfield Ban Still Holds.
The only thing which stands in the wa,
OF the importation of American coal is
the ban which DR.. Garfield. when actins
as American Fuel Administrator. placed
on coal expectation. Well informed mer
said to-day that an effort will be made
by the government to get the Washington
administration to lift this ban in favor OF
France. 1t is this Garfield ruling, and
not the low price of the franc, which IS
Keeping France from getting coal from
the United States, it was declared.
Negotiations were opened in 1917 BY
French chambers of commerce with the
United States Shipping Board for Amer;.
can ships to transport coal to Marseilles
but these negotiations were INTERRUPTED
An effort will be made to reopen them.
Meanwhile French Industrial experts
are studying the quality of the product O,
American coal mines to work out a com
prehensive utilization scheme They al.
ready have reported that Virginia Goa
was well suited to French needs and tina,
the price of it should appeal to French
consumers. French manufacturers anc
industrial plants like Maryland and Penn.
sylvania coal for it's gas-making qualities
Believing that the Millerand government
will be able to induce the United States
to permit France 10 purchase American
coal, French shipping men assert thai
American ships may expect better return
cargoes at French Mediterranean port.
than anywhere else in Europe.
Hope to Replace German Trade.
Adrien Artaud. president of the Cham
ber OF Commerce in Marseilles and mem
Der of the new Chamber of Deputies. to-
day expressed the hope that Americans
would replace the Germans in supplyinl
Marseilles with coal.
Not only do l hope that they will re
place the Germans in this business. bu
that they will step into the place in thi,
trade which Great Britain formerly held ;
he said. England now is in need Of al
her coal for her own industry and for tn,
use of her fleet. No longer is she able Il
supply France with the coal tonnag.
which she sent to us in pre-war days.