New-York tribune., 1922-12-22
Miller Refuses
ToSpendCOal
Fund of State
Rebukes Senator Straus for
Writing Him Of Hundreds
Unable to Get Fuel Instead
Of Appealing TO Board
woodin's Work Praised
Declares Drawing on $lO,-
100000 Would Not Re-
Iievc Anthracite Shortage

u,s of the states sioOoo,eco emer-
rsney fund for tho purehsse OF eoai
~as refused by Governor Miller yester-
day IN a letter 70 State Senator Nathan
straus jr., answering his recent attack
On william n. woodin, State Fuel "A
uinis,rstor. and the request that the
.ri.tenee OF an emergency warranting
the use o. the fund be declared BY
the Governor.
Governor Miller n his letter ex'
creased admiration FOR the work done
b. .he fuel administration under N.Y.
vooAin and rebuked senator Straus
for writing 70 hin publicly Of the hun
dreds of persons who arc unable 70
ret coal. instead OF referring these
easos 10 the fuel administration, ana
suggested that perhaps you get bet
tsr publicity by writing 70 me about
~Tbs task Of the fuel administra-
tion.1 the Governor wrote, will not
be made easier by demaeogie attempts
- disturb the public mind nor by false
and misleading propaganda 10 advance
individual political fortunes when
such crisis always affords an OPP
portunity 20 promote TO tho public
Setrimcnt."
| The entry Of the state a. = $4,000.
200 buyer into the coal business would
not add q single pound Of coal 70 the
available supply fof New FORK and
would only tend 20 disarrange existing
methods of distribution. Governor MI
lei wrote. He pointed out that the
present situation Is due TO an actual
shortage Of coal and not % any IN
ability 70 buy or sell coal.
This is substantially the view which
NJ. Woodin has expressed since his
appointment as State Fuel Admins
traitor and which he reiterated again
yesterday when he appeared as wit
ness before Magistrate Eilperin IN
Brooklyn. The State Fuel Admins
traitor and members Of bis siaf had
been subpoenaed b. Loring ". Black
IT,, who sought 10 show that his client,
a Brooklyn landlord. summoned Tor
failing TO give his tenants heat, was
unable 20 buy coal.
II he rad a fund Of $4,000, 900 with
which to purchase coal. Nj Woodin
said. he could not get more than the
state Is now getting. There IL
shortage of 80 per cent in the avail
ablc tonnage Of anthracite, due 70 the
strike Of last sumner. and for this rea-
son allOtments have been made TO
states and municipalities on the basis
Of 90 per cent Of their normal re-
quirements, and New York Is getting
It's allotment. The distribution Of an
thraeite Is largely In the hands Of an
anthracite commission IN Pennsylvania.
which, ne said, welded more power
than the State Fuel Administration.
Magistrate Eilporin, commended the
fuel naturalization, holding that the
evidence showed Il had done every
thing possible 20 relieve the shortage
and that Brooklyn had Jared no worse
than the other boroOghs. lie reserved
biz decision until December %.
Governor Miller's reply said:
Il acknowledge your letter OF Dccem-
Der rs. In which YOU ask that the Fuel
Administrator engage in tho buying and
slling OF fuel.
"If the state were TO 60 into the coal
business now =. would not add one
pound OF coal 10 the available supply.
Il would only disarrangc the existing
methods. II would only substitute new
Tor thoroughly flcd ana eUectlNelN or
ganized methods of distribution. In ny
message 90 the Legislature % It's
extraordinary session. said: 4 do
not contemplate putting the state IN
tho coal business. What ! propose ig
that the agency created b. u5 shall
have power enough 20 make il unncc.
sssary for tho state TO 90 into toe coal
business The foresight in making
provision for every possible coutin-
Esrcy, even those which could not then
be forcaecu a. mining rad not yet been
resumed, has made Il unnecessary for
the state 10 90 into the coal business.
$50 far from not functioning. as you
assert. the Fuel Administration has
functioncd 20 well AND with such little
friction that the public has only be-
come aware Of the necessity Of It's
creation end % the inealeulable value
Of It's service during the recent pinch
There is a very serious shortage Of the
domestic sizes Of anthracite coal. The
task &c 10 secure an equitable distfi-
button Of what there s. AZ reasonable
prices, and 20 piece out the shortage
with substitutes"