Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-04-29
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: WASHINGTON
NEWS LETTER
BY The Washington Star i
Copyright 1920. - j
NEXT WINTERS FUEL. SUPPLY.
Will We Have Enough Coal To Go
Around And Will 1t Be Priced
Reasonably?

are burning questionsFts householders
and business people at this time, when
the ,far-sighted and forehanded ones
begin to figure during the summer
months on laying in their winters
supply. ~
1t happens that in Washington
there is source of information which
can be tapped for answers to the ques-
tions, for light upon this dark subject.
The American Wholesale Coal Asso-
citation maintains headquarters here in
charge of one of the recognized stat
istical experts of the country, George
H. Cushing.
Mr.. Gushing estimates that the de-
,mand for bituminous coal next win
ter will aggregate about 535 100000
tons, for domestic uses. He holds
there is no reason to doubt that the
bituminous mines can produce that
much COAL. since in 1918 they actual
ly produced 51,OOO,OOO tons in excess
of that amount. The potential capa-
citynof the mines which produced the
586,O00,0OO tons is estimated to be, if
they should be operated constantly,
647 100000 tons. The figures show
that they have proved excess capa-
city of 51,OOO,oOO tons and potential
excess Of 100000 tons above the
estimated demand for 1920.
The next question is: Can the rail-
roads carry that coal?" and this he
answers in the affirmative. "There
are some people," Mr.. Cushing says,
"who contend that the roads can not
carry the coal. j am not that kind Of
a psssimist. lido not and can not be-
lieve that when everything else in the
country. is going ahead vigorously,
the railroads alone will be found
falling behind. I can not believe that
the railroads, crowded as they were
in 1918 with war supplies, troops and
commerce of the country and inter-
fered with as they were by conflict
ing orders from a confused railroad
administration, could carry 586,O0O,000
tons in 1918 and not be able to carry
535, 100000 tons in 1920, when they
are free of the movement of troops
and free from the annoyance of con-
flicting orders from Washington.
81 have faith in a word, in the eff
cheney of private and competitive con-
troll of the carriers as opposed to pub
Iio nd
Mr.. Cushing has gone at length in
to the details of the car supply, their
carrying capacity, and the demands
to be put upon them, drawing the con-
clusion that they are adequate for the
task ahead. He points out that the
quantity of coal consumed by Pitsburg
comes from mines in the vicinity, the
same with Cincinnati and Chicago,
while the coal moving to tidewater
travels but relatively short distance
and the coal moved over the Lakes
comes from nearby mines in Western
Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
eff under the circumstances says
Mr. Gushing, "there is any shortage
of coal due to the shortage of cars,
the fault will lie with extremely bad
management. 1t all depends
upon whether the railroad men are
able to move their cars fast enough
to make fifteen round trips a year,
per car. If they can not, think we
need some new railroad managers.
ain the face of these facts, which
are inexorable, we still have the high
|y excitable and highly speculative
coal market. Buyers are bidding aga
inst each other for each available car
Of coal as though the available supply
IF coal was about to be exhausted for
all time. Those who have coal for
sale hesitating to accept any offer for
it lest by making a decision a few
minutes too early they lose money.
What 1 say about supply and demand
s true. What l say about the spirit
If the market is also true. The two
,hings are hard to reconcile. l do not
believe the coal men are vicious in
spreading false alarm. l do not be-
ieve buyers are unbalanced when
when they bid wildly for coal. I be-
ieve that both are misinformed in
part and over-influenced by yester-
lays facts.
However, there is this general
ruth to take into account. The minds /
If large percentage of business men
nave been attacked by a new sort of
disease. I think it is the breaking |
lown of common sense due to exces-
;ive WEAKNESS. The form which the
nalady takes is sudden and wild de-
ire to abandon the fight for success
n the highly competitive home mar
GETS and to go looking for easy and
yreat success in the foreign markets.
This is potent cause of the present
explosive tendency Of the coal mar
ket"
Mr.. Cushing takes sharp issue with
! stateme4t recently made in the Sem
pte by senator Erelinghuysen Of NewI