Evening star., 1923-09-09
OLD FIGHT ON COAL
REVIVED BY WORK
Dealers Active for Past Five
Years to Have Fuel Yard
Here Abolished.

Secretary of Interior Works decla =
ration yesterday that the government
fuel yards should either go out of
business entirely or be made avail
able for. all government employees in
Washington was recognized here yes
terday as the reopening of a long
continued controversy between local
coal men and the government over
the yards existence.
Allowing all federal employees in
Washington the privilege of purchas-
Ing coal from the government fuel
yards would mean a considerable ex-
pansion in the facilities of the yard.
and an additional appropriations from
Congress for such expansion. 1t
would place the government at the
same time more definitely in competi-
tion with private business than has
been the case heretofore. when only
about 500 officers of the Army, Navy
and Marine corps in Washington have
purchased their coal from the gov
ernment. via the fuel yard.
This expansion, ii is estimated.
would enlarge the private business of
the yard by more than fifty times.
Possibly higher operating costs might
result from the necessarily more de-
tailed character of the work-result-
ing in a slightly higher cost to the
consumer according to government
official formerly connected actively
with the management of the fuel
yard.
But at the same time, granted that
operating costs at the fuel yard were
made higher, this official declared,
consumers would still effect a saving
over the prices charged by private
retail coal dealers.
Small Margin of Profit.
The fuel yard operates on a small
margin. 1t is not intended that 1t
be money maker. Its employees are
paid less than those in private en-
efforts to obliterate the yard. made
many times in the past five years.
have all broken. it is stated. on the
rock of comparative figures
Secretary Work has before him the
expressed wish of the local dealers
end the National Retail Coal Associa- =
tion. representing dealers in forty
four states, that the fuel yard be abol-
ished. and that the sale of retail coal
in Washington be put back upon the
same competitive basis of eight or
nine years ago, before the establish
ment of the fuel yard. Secretary
Works decision to investigate the
whole matter of the local fuel yard
VIII again open the question which
has come up from time to time before
his predecessors.
Purchased on Contract.
MANY thousands OF tons OF coal
are purchased annually on contract
by the fuel yard and sold to the
various government departments nd
to the several branches of the Dis
trict government. Retail coal deal
ers of Washington would like to get
this business back. They want 1t,
they say. to tide over the periodical
summer depression in the retail coal
industry here, which. it was admit
ted by a dealer, probably causes
higher prices on one kind of coal at
least in the, winter. than would be
the case were business maintained ID
at a uniform level throughout the
year
They maintain if the full privilege
of purchase of coal from the fuel
yard were opened up to all govern
ment employees. their business would
be sorely hit. Secretary Work agrees
with them entirely. he indicated yes
terday. One hundred thousand tons of
coal or more. now sold by private
dealers, would be sold by the Interior
Department instead of by private bus
mess concerns. The entire matter is in
the hands of Secretary Work. Local
coal men indicate move in the sit
uation will be made early this week.