New-York tribune., 1920-07-11
Willard Offers Solution

6 Auired to move I,600, 900 tons Of steel
q products which are piled up awaiting
e shipment.
y Willard Offers Solution
IS Mr.. Willard conceded that practically
all space available for storing steel
was in use, but predicted that the mills
S"can be kept going" by the shippers
and the local car service committees
cooperating in the daily assignment of
available cars.
Sa4ss II believe there will not be any gen
eral shutdown of industry" declared
! Mr.. Willard. "The situation, believe,
will not get any worse, and believe we
can make it better"
~ Mr.. Townsend and Mr.. Willard were
among the half score witnesses appear
ing at the closing session Of the COM
missions hearing on possible modifica-
ton of its order requiring preference
nsissippi, in the assignment Of open top
Cars Chairman Clark announced that
the question would be taken under ad-
. visement.
Consider Building Material
man urged that they follow the sugges-
z tion of Mr.. Willard to attempt solution
of car service through cooperation with
railroad officials.
By the shippers and the railroads
z acting through local car service COM
s naittees, Mr.. Willard expected it would
not be necessary to prevent all move
ment. of building materials and that
materials could be moved for highway
repairs, maintenance and construction
of essential connecting g-road links. Such
transportation, he anticipated, could
be had on the return movement of the
! open top equipment to the mines.
There has been no harmonizing eff
fort between the carriers and shippers
ato get the best out of the situation" )"
declared Mr.. Willard.
} Steel Men Ask Equipment
sss Extension of the commissions order
for thirty days beyond July 21, its orig
ipal expiration date, was favored by Mr..
Willard, while the steel men did not
commit themselves, but asked that the
order be so Interpreted as to permit
{ them to receive part of the open-top
scar equipment.
b. Mr.. Townsend predicted that the
present shortage, together with the
to require an addition of 100000 cars
to the roads equipment in the next
sssstape years. This equipment, Mr.. Towns
end said, would cost more than So 3,0OO,-
coo, 900.
% g Details by districts Of the accumu-
fation OF steel products were given by
Mr.. Townsend, his figures showing al
most half of the waiting tonnage to be
a in the Pittsburgh-J Johnstown district.
80 q Backing up the plea of the steel men
Edward F. Shelf, of the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey, urged that
gondola cars be excepted from the COM
missions order. The government-owned
merchant feet and many public utili-
ties. he said, are hampered by the lack
s sof fuel oil.
Huge industrial and utility plants of
the nation have been going along the
last few months with an average of
from one to two weeks supply of coal,
according to official figures on coal sup
ply issued to-day by the Geological
Z Survey.
os4f While in ordinary times there is q
= supply of some 35,000,000 tons of coal
IN the hands of great and small con-
sumers in the early spring months, the
scountry's surplus last spring was al
most entirely exhausted.
rvs. On May 81, the surveys figures show
there were stocks of bituminous coal at
industrial plants, other than steel, OF
ii $3,389,066 tons throughout the country
. 0 representing an average Of three and
ID three-sevenths weeks supply. Public
utility plants had on hand 1872, ,S8C
lions, or little more than three weeks
ii supply. Coal gas plants had stocks Of
222, 1906 tons, or enough to last three
and one-seventh weeks.
5stp The Geological Surveys tabulation
y for manufacturing and public utility
10 plants in individual states clearly bears
us out the concern felt by these plants
il over their immediate supply. The fie
81 ures show that on May 81 New Yorl
x State had run down to q supply thai
> would last two and six-sevenths weeks
New Jersey three and two sevenths
10 weeks, Pennsylvania three and one
.Dsseventh weeks, Delaware three and two
sevenths weeks, West Virginia three
and three-sevenths weeks, Virginia one
III and two-sevenths weeks, Massachusetts
five and one-seventh weeks, Connecti
cut four and one-sevenths weeks ant
Rhode Island six and one-seventl
IS Reports from some three thousant
q mines. representing approximately 81
per cent of the aggregate soft Goa
sdscapacity Of the country, show tha
there was an average OF 4a.S per cen
of potential production lost through
shortage Of coal cars for the entir,
country.
The Geological Survey shows tha
the movement of coal over the Grea
lakes is moro than 80 per cent below
7ormal for this season of year.
NesO EngIas,d's Coal
rA.sfJ<.I~ Eo,.l