New-York tribune., 1922-09-10
Railroads Rush
Coal to City to
Fill Empty Bins
Increase of 46.4 Per Cent
in Shipments Since Aug.
"a Is \ Shown ON the
New York Central Alone
Prompt Unloading Urged
Colonel Donovan Calls ON
Retailers i'm Convention
to Help Squelch Couging


That the railroadsS reaching New
York are making unusual efforts to
rush coal to the metropolitan area to
fl! the bins emptied by the strike is
indicated by statement on coal ship
ments made yesterday by the New
York Central Railroad. (, From August
ID, when mining was resumed, to last
Wednesday 25,707 carloads of soft coal
have moved over the New York Central
lines, an increase of AGA per cent over
the corresponding period last year.
This means that anthracite, as made
available, will be moved from the
mines with the same dispatch, and
with all the railroad organizations CO.
operating toward this end.
Concerning the country at large, the
Association of Railway Executives had
the following to say:
"A total of 1928 cars were loaded
with coal on Thursday, September Z,
according to reports just received by
the Association of Railway Executives
from the rail carriers of the country.
This was 2,414 cars under the preceding
day, but 1851 cars in excess of the
average daily loading in September
last year, when there was no railway
strike. 1t also was 11,175 cars in ex-
cess of the daily average in August of
this year, and 1929 cars above the
average daily for July.
{ "Comparisons by districts showed an
increase on Thursday over the preced-
ing day in coal loadings in the north
western and southwestern districts, al
though there were decreases in other
districts"
The railroads are now urging both
shippers and dealers to assist in put
ting into operation plans for the quick
loading, unloading and general han
ding of coal shipments, in order that
the cars may be returned to the mines
for reloading without delay. This fa-
cilitating of shipments will do much
to prevent the fuel shortage becoming
acute, railroad officials say, as it will
keep the maximum number of coal cars
moving from the mine to the market.
There never has been such a sudden
and heavy demand for coal cars, the
day, on September 5, 2,760 cars were
loaded with coal on it's lines alone.
Donovan Appeals to Retailers
Colonel William j. Donovan, legal
adviser to William II. Woodin, the
State Fuel Administrator, went to
Richfield Springs yesterday to address
the convention of the New York State
Retail Coal Merchants Association.
Colonel Donovan asked the dealers to
see to it themselves that the drastic
penalties for profteering provided by
the emergency laws need not be re-
sorted to. He said, on this point:
"This seems to me a supreme op-
portunity for the business. man to
demonstrate his ability at self f-discip-
line and his lack of need for govern
ment regulation. II you men can take
hold of this problem and keep the
small, INSCRIPTIONS element in line, it
will be better and prouder condition
of affairs for New York than if Mr..
Woodin is compelled to exercise the
drastic emergency powers vested in
him by the Legislature.
eve anticipate that there will be
some isolated cases where action by
the Administration will be necessary.
We feel that you will agree, not dis
agree, with us as to our imperative
duty to scotch these offenders without
mercy, and with no consideration but
the community good. However, the
spirit of morale you have already
shown in offering to aid the Admins
tration should operate to reduce to a
minimum the legal features of our
task.
with the authority given the Fuel
Administrator punishment for gouging
team be administered in plenty Our
chief concern is the desire to solve the
situation in the natural American way
rather than by fireworks. Prevention
is better for the consumer, the dealer
and us, than punishment"
State Intervention Denied
A denial was issued yesterday that
steel interests had been in conference
with representatives of the United
Mine Workers and an official of the
Department of Labor. The report
from Washington said that Ebert H.
Gary, chairman of the United States
Steel Corporation, had attended the
conference, and that its particular pur-
pose was to end the strike in the Con-.
nellsville coke producing region
Both Judge Gary and President
James A. Farrell, of the Steel Corpora
tion, were said to be out Of town, but
it was emphatically declared that the
rumors of the conference were "abso-
lutely without foundation" Judge
Gary was said to be at Newport, R. l.,
visiting James w. Gerard
1t was declared yesterday that some-
what mysterious offers of coal at prices
lower than the current markets have
been received by manufacturers and
others who buy in comparatively small
quantities. Some has been offered, it
was said, at $S and SO ton, and was
referred to by the man who told of the
offers as 'bootleg coal" The only ex-
planation offered was that probably
dealers or spectators had managed
to keep undiscovered in storage few
thousand tons of coal, which began to
lose speculative value as the mines re-
sumed digging, and which they were