New-York tribune., 1920-07-17
Drastic Plan
Drawn to End
Fuel Shortage
Railway Presidents and
Coal Operators Agree
on Proposals To Be
Submitted to /. C.. C..
No Details Announced
Number Of Cars Will Be
Increased and Mines
Worked to Full Capacity

Radical steps to meet the coal short
s;gc emergency were decided upon yes
terday at the conclusion of the three
day conference between the advisory
committee of nine Of the Railway
Executives Association and represen-
tatives of 1000 bituminous coal operat-
ors, held in this city.
The operators were represented by a
committee of the National Coal Asso-
ciation, headed by Colonel d. B. Wentz
of Philadelphia. The committee of rail-
road officials was headed by Daniel
Willard, president of the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad.
The plans worked out by the joint
conference were INN mediately submitted
to a meeting of 100 railroad presidents
members of the Railway Executives
Association, who were in session at the
offices of the New York, New Haven &
Hartford Railroad in the Grand Cen
trail Terminal The joint coal confer
ence was held in the same place, but
few doors from the meeting room of
the railway presidents, so that constant
interchange of opinion and information
between the two meetings was possible
No Details Announced
The main subject discussed by the
Railway Executives Association, how
ever, involved transportation problems.
No details of the plan adopted were
announced, for the reason that it can
not be put in operation without the
approval of and an order from the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Action to obtain the commissions as
sent was taken Immediately and COM
and present the plan to the commits
sion on Monday. The committee will
consist OF Mr.. Willard, Colonel Wentz,
c. t. White, a Cleveland operator;
Herman Griggs, agent for the Inter
state Commerce Commission, and j. D.
A. Morrow, vice-p president of the Ma
tional Coal Association.
Confidence was expressed by those
attending the conference that the plan
will be approved by the commission and
will relieve the situation. The plan
was developed at meetings of sub-com-
mittees of railway men, coal operators
and traffic officials representing both
the coal operators and railways. 1t
execution. 1t was declared that it's
adoption will result in increasing to a
large extent the number of coal carry
ing cars throughout the country and
will make'possible the operation of the
mines to full capacity. Both railway
officials and representatives Of the
operators said that the plan also will
obtain an ample reserve supply Of coal
next winter for the entire country
The plan, coal and railway officials
said, will make possible sufficient
distribution of shipments to insure an
adequate movement of coal to the Lake
Northwest and Canada. The Northwest
is the most seriously affected region in
the present coal stringency. New Eng
land is only second to the Northwest
in this regard, while New York City
and the rest of the Atlantic coast is
third.
The New England situation will be
discussed at a conference at the Hotel
Belmont here Monday. The conference
will be attended by coal operators and
j. j. Storrow, formerly of the Fuel
Administration and now representing
New England public utilities and manu-
facturers in the handling of their coal
problem.
MUST Double Shipments
At the office of Commissioner Howe,
OF the Tidewater Coal Exchange, it was
said yesterday that 780 cars, totalling
nearly 100000 tons of coal, reached this
city within the last twenty-feur hours.
While these arrivals were regarded as
d vast Improvement over the situation
a week ago, it was said by officials
of the Coal Exchange that no definite
change for the better can be looked
for until these shipments are doubled
and continue daily.
The special committee of railroad ex-
ecutives, consisting of A. H. Smith,
president of the New York Central;
Samuel Rea, president of the Pennsyl-
vania, and W. G. Besler, of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey, who have been
engaged in special efforts to expedite
the movements of coal on all lines, par
ticularly those destined for the public
utilities of New York, announced yes
tcrday, gratifying improvement in the
situation. They said that the public
utilities are in better shape to-day as
to coal supplies than they have been
for month. Up until Tuesday of this
week, they said, there were received
here for the week, 22O,396 tons of coal.
as compared with $4,000 tons for the
week previous. There was a very sub.
Stantial increase in the reserve SUNNY