Evening star., 1923-08-24
HEATING MEN URGE.
OIL AHEAD OF COAL.
Also Boom Use of Electricity
for Heat as Anthracite
Strike Threatens.
BY j. c. ROlLE.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK. August 23.-The atti-
tude of large portion of the public
toward the controversy which threat
ems to cause a coal strike September
is accurately represented by the
sentence Shakespeare puts into the
mouth of Mercutio in Romeo and
Juliet'-"a pest on both your houses"
This is the conclusion of manufac
turers and distributors of heating ap
rliances throughout the east today.
These heating equipment dealers
are making hay while the sun shines
or rather before the coal burns. and
are selling tremendous quantities of
appliances which will permit economy
OF coal or the use of other types of
fuel. Makers of hot water and steam
heating systems are making special
drive for adoption of new equipment
oh-burning equipment is being in
vestiSated by thousands of house
holders. and gas and electric heating
appliances are being bought heavily
o"th by dealers and consumers in
preparation for emergency use.
Change i'm Heating Methods.
The present coal Stringency and
me fear of worse conditions are max
ing fundamental changes in Amer
ica methods of heating" :. w
Noulder. chief engineer of the heat
ing and power division of the Grin
nell Company. said today.
hlle the possibility of sympa-
thetic strike of bitumnous mine
workers was fully recognized, many
well informed coal men continued TO
hold the belief that any suspension
.i mining IN either anthracite or BIZ
luminous fields would be of short du-
ration. The United Mine Workers
treasury is amply supplied with
FUNDS John l.. Lewis. head of the
"rEahlzatl"n. recently declared that
there was $1,000. 900 I'm cash available
ana 1t was proved last year that the
nhlht workers can readily obtain
IarEe loans from banks, even those
of this city.
Heavy LOSSES In Wages.
Inc miners themselves, however.
ere tar less well prepared for long
nltSe. Last years strike curtailed
anthracite production 36.44S,44I tons.
according to figures of the Pennsyl-
aanla ma STATE state mining bureau. At $500
ton the cost of labor in producing
ton OF coal as fixed by the Federal
oal Commission. this means that
stI42.i id'9l99O was lost to the an
blow
Inc bituminous mines are far from
iully unionized and in nearly every
section the men have been working
nnIE from two to three days a week
Frank III. Hemelwright. president of
me temple Coal and Iron Company.
estimates that there are 100000 more
miners on bitumnous company nav
rolls than are required.
Four-MOnth supply Ahead.
There are supplies. of anthracite
ana bltuminouS coal now mined
which would assure supply for about
tour months at least, and the rail
roads are in better shape than ever
before TO move coal to market in
any section.
south are not worried, as they count
on an ample supply of coal from the
n"n-union mines of Alabama and
Tennessee. The Southern railway
rebuild 1000 freight cars which had
been set aside for retirement and
shortly will receive 1866 coal cars
and siXty-siX locomotives ordered
earlier this year.
Further Gasoline Price Cuts.
Further reductions in the prices of
gasoline are anticipated as the quest
for oil in southern California con-
tRues undated, twenty-five wells
having been started in the last week.
The new wells started there far
this year total 934, as compared with
$50 for the corresponding 1922 period.
Reports from the mid-continent
field state that the present depression
Is as bad as that of 1915. which was
caused by the tremendous flow from
the Cushing field. Prices then went
TO 81 cents a barrel for mid-continent
crude. and. while the average price
now is about $50 barrel. increased
operating costs. according to pro-
ducers. make this lower figure than
that of eight years ago. In addition,
the present pro-rating orders make
il impossible for operators to sell
all they produce.