The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-20
Inquiry i'm Brooklyn.

In Brooklyn District Attorney Harry
f. Lewis had another busy day. Among
New York middlemen whom he had sum-
inoned for examination was Gustav w.
Seller. president of the Seller Coal Com
pany. 80 West street. In answer to
the subpoena there appeared before the
Kings county Grand Jury yesterday III.
E. Holtse. secretary of the Seller firm.
who was accompanied by his counsel. G.
A. Mclaughlin of Rector street.
Mr. Holtse really knows little about
the company's affairs" pleaded Mr.. Nc
Laughlin to District Attorney Lewis "he
is only a sort of secretarial officer"
"Well. who does know about them? ''
countered the District Attorney.
"Mr. Gustav W. Seller does
"And where is Mr.. Seiler?'
Gle has gone to Maine on a shooting
trip"
In the absence OF the company's head
its counsel did not wish TO open its books
but when Mr.. Lewis threatened to have
them seized and impounded it was agreed
that the books and accounts should be
produced on Monday. together with a
firm representative familiar with them.
, Willett Martin. another coal man OF
143 Liberty street who had been d.
rected to appear again yesterday with
records of the transs ctions about which
he had testified Thursday, wrote to Mr.
Lewis, saying he had consulted counsel
and did not wish to produce his office
records. When Threatened with a SUBJ
p9nae, he too acquisced and agreed G
have his books in Brooklyn Monday To-
lay, for the moment, District Attorney
Lewis is interested IL the HarvardYale
football game. He said yesterday he ex-
rected all anthracite prices TO return to
normal before long.
William J. Dalton, vice-president OF
the Wyoming Valley Coal Company, is
going ahead with his plans for selling
emergency relief Goa In Brooklyn at az
cents for 100 pounds, a price to which
NIL the twenty stations throughout tho
city, which are obsining coal through
the Birmingham relief committee have
assented. With the consent Of the
Mayor, Mr.. Dalton probably will have
the cooperation of Edwin J. OMalley
Commissioner OF Markets II is hoped
utilize as coal distribution depots In
Brooklyn four of the city's Ice stations
which will be equipped with scales and
manned by municipal employees.
Appeals for Embargo.
Commissioner O'Malley wrote a letter
10 President Wilson urging an Immediate
embargo against coal exports until the
'hunkers' of the cities on the eastern
1caDoaiu are lliitu, 70 l0hI IN tne event
of a severe drop in temperature Il will
not be faced with a lack OF coal and its
attendant hardships"
There should be crusade Of reform
wagcd." the letter continues by the
Department of Justice, aided by the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
against the coal carrying railroads, the
manipulators of the wholesale coal
trade OF New York and the mine oper-
ators. Shortage of fuel for apartment
houses and office buildings here has
become acute. The embargo having
been made effective. the Interstate
Commerce Commission should ut once
establish priority shipments OF anthra-
cite coal 10 New York. Priority ef-
fected. 100000 tons II anthracite coal
could be shipped to New York within
two or three weeks. which quantity
would be sufficient for immediate needs
only"
Commenting upon the closing to-day
OF the great lakes shipments for the
winter, and basing his estimates upon
the 1919 figures, an anthracite expert
calculated yesterday that because OF
the cessation Of lake shipments during
the next six months there will become
available for distribution during that
period I'm the non-lake territory approx
imately 100000 additional tons OF an
thracite coal. The non-lake territory
with respect 10 anthracite consumption.
roughly speaking, Is the territory lyina
east of lines drawn through Buffalo
and Pittsburg and north of the Poto-
mac River. In 1919 about 2600,0O0 tons
went over the lakes.