The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-06

hundred thousand heat their homei with oil or kerosene stoves of on' kind or another.
 For the last four months, we have been urging these homes to conver to coal as soon as possible. Tht War Production Board has dom everything in its power to see thai a supply of grates and equipment is available. It is estimated tha only about seven per cent of tn. home owners who could convert hay, followed our advice.
 During the last two months o1 cold weather, and during the colt spell in December, every home which has converted to coal has beer farm. All homes that convert nov from oil to coal will also be warm
 Let me repeat that statement. Il you continue to heat your home witt oil this winter, you will be forced to keep the thermometer at mini. mum levels. At times, you may not be able to get fuel oil. The situation which you face is serious today. It may grow even more seri- ous before the Winter is over.
 On the contrary, if you convert to coal, you and your family will be warm. Because of local labor situations, 1t may be difficult some- times for you to get coal to your home. It may not always be pos- sthle for you to get the kind oi hard coal that you would prefer to use. It iS possible, under very extreme conditions, that you might be forced to use soft coal whict will leave soot on your curtains.
 But I want to stress and re-streSs the fact that if you convert, yor can keep your home warm by Otae method or another.
 Now let us examine some of thu facts on which I base this state. ment. First of all, just how Inucf coal is there available in the Statei A survey was launched by the tSatG Defense Council on Friday of lasi week which will give you some ex. cellent information on this. The re. suits should be available within q day or two. a.t s Facts Reviewed
 However, there are some basic facts which are available to us now and which I would like to review On last Saturday and today. 36 fed- eral inspectors on our staff talked personally with 75 per cent of all the 330 primary coal distributors in the state. These distributors tell us that they have already delivered tc Connecticut homes 21 per cent more coal than at this same time las, year. They tell us that forty nine per cent of their customers, ir response to our repeated urging tC stock their winter coal during the summer and fall months, already have sufficient coal on hand tt carry them through the winter. Ina coal is part of our Connecticut in' ventory.
 We also have 8 sizeable supply O coal of various sizes of anthracite now in the hands of coal dealer, throughout the state, and in actua transit to their yards. This coa varies from an eight weeks suppl, in some cities to Q two weeks' sup. ply for this time of year.
 The only shortage at present Lel in nut size anthracite a short. age which most dealers feel will b, temporary. If your dealer hap pens to run out of the exact siSI you want, you can always Use tn, smaller sizes by mixing them witl coke Or larger size anthracite or ever bituminous.
 The only serious problem now ap. parent in the coal situation in thi state is the problem of lahor: 4hal IS, the labor with which to distrib. ute coal to your home. But if worsC came to worse, you can always loaG a couple Of bags of coal in the cal and take them home yourself.
 The future supply of anthracit, coal coming into the state will b, increased by the fact that ali an. thracite miners will soon go on { Six-day week.
 Finally, in considering this QuesD ton of coal versus oil, always re, member that the coal fields of Wes Virginia and Pennsylvania are fla closer to Connecticut than the Oi wells of Texas and Oklahoma. Re member. too. that it is oil and no coal that our Army and Navy nees for the war abroad.
 Now anyone will be very 1oolisi during wartime to make any prom ises of any kind about our futur, supplies of any product. We mus deal in probabilities. But certain basic facts are very clear.
 Situation Desperate
 With only enough oil on hand fl Connecticut to take us from day tl day, 1t is obvious that the oil situa, ton is desDerate. While there ma, be some dificulty in getting certaii sizes of anthracite coal. and Wiail, there is admittedly a difficult laho shortage in the distribution of coal it should be clear that the coal sit uation is immeasurably easier thar the oil situation.
 The home that converts to coa can move in any one of several di rections. It can use different size of coal. It can use different kind of coal.
 A home that remains tied to as oil burner can use only oil. If therV Is no oil or kerosene available. thl heat goes of and that is that. Therl is nothing you or I or your q dealer can do about it. xou onE'