Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-02
PRESIDENT SEES
NO COAL SHORTAGE
Receives Assurance Suspen-
sion of Bituminous Mines
viii Not Injure Business.

President Coolidge yesterday received
official advices that assure him there
will be little, if any, Inconvenience oil
suffering on the part of the public. al
least for a long time, as a result OF
the suspension of operations in the
unionized bituninous coal fields OF
the country.
Reports made to him indicate that
there is sufficient bituminous coal on
hand at present adequately to supply
the demands of the country for al
least three or four months without
trouble and for nearly q year before
there would be suffering. These ad
vices convince him that the public Is
In happy situation and that there
is not the slightest occasion for him
to have any concern for the present
Moreover, the Presidents advices are
such as to cause him to feel very
hopeful that the differences between
the operators and& miners will be
ironed out before the situation as.
suned any grave aspects.
The President, however, is taking
q deep interest in the situation.
Secretary Hoover's Statement.
Secretary of Commerce Hoover who
conferred with the President be-
fore the cabinet meeting yesterday
is understood to have supplied the
President with a carefully prepared
estimate of the soft coal above ground
up to as late as last night.
According to this estimate given to
the President there were 10000, 900
net tons of coal in the hands of COM
mercial consumers. In addition, there
were 20,000,000 tons on the upper lake
a NIB NJ IVY
amounting approximately to 10000.
600 net tons loaded on railroad cars
in transit.
The President was advised also that
the Bureau of Mines, and the Bureau
OF the Census of the Department of
Commerce, jointly now are making
another survey of the stocks of
bituminous coal in the hands of the
commercial consumers as of April /.
These figures, however, will not be
available before May l, If that soon.
The survey will be official The last
official survey made by these two
bureaus of the Department Of Com
merce showed the amount of bitumin-
GUS coal on hand, January last. At
that time the estimate of the total
stocks of bituminous coal in the hands
of commercial consumers was
65,000,000 net tons. 1t was then also
estimated that there were in addition
6.567,000 tons on the upper lake docks
and an unknown quantity amounting
to several million tons loaded on rail-
road cars.
Non-union Mines a Factor.
Not only were the figures presented
70 the President dealing with the
bituminous situation looked upon
as reassuring, SO far as the present
stocks of coal are concerned, but the
estimated production capacity of the
non-union bituminous mines con.
tributed greatly to the Presidents
happy state of mind.
His advices are that some Of the
non-union mines are adopting tempo
rary agreements to go ahead and mine
coal pending a general agreement
throughout the bituminous fields. Ac-
cording to these estimates the non-
union mines are capable Of producing
approximately 100000 net tons
monthly. This capacity for produc-
ton during the closing down of the
union mines. added to the large stocks
OF bituminous now on hand, remove
all fears of shortage unless the
cessation OF operations on the part
OF unionized mines is protracted for
much longer period than is now ex-
pected.