Evening star., 1942-09-20
Switch 10 Coal
Or Get No Oil,
Firms Warned
Commercial Concerns,
Apartment Houses
Ordered to Convert
BY JAMES Y NEWTON.


A blunt ultimatum to convert
to coal or be denied any Oil for
heating this winter was delivered
last night by the Offlce of Price
Administration to apartment
houses and commercial, indus
trial and institutional establish
ments In the District and the 80
rationed States of the East and
Midwest which possess the fa-
cilities to convert their furnaces.
In Washington, nearby Maryland
and Virginia, spokesman for a
large oil company estimated there
are 1000 fats and apartments, large
and small, heated by oil. The num-
Der OF stores with oil burners could
not be Appropriated, but are said
to be in the hundreds. Some of the
Capitals largest hotels and Office
buildings depend on Oil heat, as we'll
as a few schools and other institu-
tions.
Accurate information as to the
number of these oil burners which
can be converted to coal could not
be obtained Best information OBJ
tainable indicate that less than half
could be changed.
ID. c. To Be Hard Hit.
Washington, preponderantly an
apartment city, probably will be
harder hit by the order than anv
other large city in the rationed
area, an official stated.
Paul M. OLeary, deputy oPA
administrator in charge of ration
ing, declared that large proportion
OF buildings, all heavy users of fuel
oil, including apartment houses. Of
nee buildings and manufacturing
plants, have furnaces that can be
easily converted to coal.
The desperateness of the fuel oil
situation" he said, demands that
they do So"
Mr.. OLeary said that representa-
tives Of the affected establishments
will be required to report on the
convertibility of their oil furnaces
when they register for fuel oil
rations next month. Rationing
boards will have benefit Of advice
from heating experts, he pointed
out. in determining whether rations
are to be denied.
Order Includes Hospitals.
The QPA order was intended to
include, spokesman explained, all
industrial plants, whether making
munitions or not, with convertible
Oil heating equipment, and all hos
pitals. How far the agency was
prepared to go in enforcing the ulti-
matum he would not say. Given
the hypothetical case of the director
OF valuable munitions plant who
refused to convert, and asked
whether OPA would deny oil for
heat IN case like that, he replied:
I can't believe that such a per-
son would take that position. How
ever, I don't believe we would shut
down such a plant
Mr.. OLeary pointed out that OPA
was urging every one to convert who
can-domestic as well as commercial
users. 1t has been announced that
home owners who can convert to
coal and do not will be denied any
supplemental rations, to be used In
case OF sickness or unusual hard
ship.
We might remember that the oil
saved from one large building" Mr..
OLeary said, that converts is
enough to heat score or more of
homes all winter. Let's put it this
way-fuel oil consumed to heat a
building that might have been con-
verted but wasn't will mean that a
score or more of homes will be in
sufferably cold this winter.
COnsiderate Attitude Urged.
mo person should be permitted
to make inroads on our precious
stock of fuel and thereby increase
the discomfort of people who can
not convert. Every person who can
do so at moderate sacrifice should
take his fuel oil consumption off the
market entirely, and thus relieve
the suffering of other people"
Mr.. OLeary said under no cir
cumstance, whether it be a private
home or large manufacturing plant,
will any establishment be eligible for
fuel oil ration if new Oil burner or
equipment converting the furnace
from other fuels has been installed
(See OIL, Page A-5.)