The Washington herald., 1920-06-28
N. Y. Y.ISFACING
ERA OF NIGHT
Only Enough Coal on Hand
To Last Metropolis
.4N One Week.
NO SHIPMENTS COMING
End Of Supply Means Grip
pling Of Industry and
Wave of Crime.

New York. June 2T.-New York
City has but one weeks supply Of
coal on hand. A darkened city with
its incidental Increase in robbery
and crimes and violence; a city with
all of its industries crippled; a gas->
less city with thousands of its in
habitants unable to cook their food,
and an elevatorless city with most
of the buildings unable to operate
their lifts. with great loss to busi-
ness, are but a few of the dire ca
lamities predicted today by a promi-
nent official of the public service
committee. unless action is taken to
alleviate the scarcity.
One OF the worse situations that
has. confronted this city in a long
time has been brought about by
pyramiding the price of Goals by
profiteering middle men.
Railroads Unreliable.
'The railroads and the utilities
corporations are cooperating to the
best of their ability, but they are
never certain of having more than
twenty-four hours advance supply.
Buffalo, Detroit, Akron and many
other cities in the United States are
feeling the pinch as badly as we in
New York." he said. The entire
country is trying to manage on a
hand-to-mouth existence where coal
is concerned.
This is one instance where the
mine workers are absolutely not to.
blame. It's a holdup without a gun
on the part of certain persons who
are making exorbitant profits selling
soft coal for SIC a ton. which should
bring IS or SO orperhaps $40 at the
very most. / have looked into the
matter of coal bSing boarded in
fat cars in the railroads of New
Jersey. These cars are being un-
congestion is not a natural condi-
ton.
Need 600 Cars Daily, Get None.
There arc on hand III 900 tons
of bituminous coal. the sort used
in public utilities, when there should
be $4,000 tons. This city should
be receiving 600 carloads daily from
now until September Is; We are re-
ceiving' none. TIE mine operators
and owners say the railroads don't
send ,cars to the mines; the rail-
read officials claim they haven't the
SoAS anu Cdh " DuN
Yes, it's the good old passing the
buck game once more.
In justice to the railroads, let
me say the car movements have
gained almost so per cent in the
last twenty-four days; where We
formerly had 5000 cars coming in
and going out daily We now have
5000. But despite the Improvement
in car movements We are in as criti-
cal a predicament as ever.
Would Reduce Traffic.
Great pressure has been brought
10 bear to persuade us to permit car
lines to reduce their traffic; eight
car trains instead of ten. have been
requested. The various utilities cor
porations are cooperating hand
somely and have relieved the short
age as far as possible.
There is but one remedy. The
governor could appoint a coal ad-
ministrator, as was done in the last
crisis, who shall decide what a rea-
sonable profit on coal is: what
amount of coal shall be allotted to
the various utilities, and who shall
have the right to commander coal
being used in nonessential indus
tries. Should the administration in
Washington appoint a national ad-
ministrator of coal 1 am certain
many States would follow the eX-
ample"