Evening star., 1943-01-17
Local U. 5. Buildings
Heated With Oil Are
Ordered 10 Convert
Must Show Good Couse
In Cases Where Step
Cunnot Be Token

AL oil-heated Federal buildings
IN the District, including the Offices
OF national OPA, have been ordered
oy District OPA to convert their
heating plants to coal promptly or
snow good reason why this can not
pe done, 1t was learned last night.
The same convert else" order
tnat has gone out to all nonresident
tial users of fuel oil in the District
under direct instructions from
National OPA, incidentally-has
been issued to those in charge of
government buildings heated by oil.
Paradoxically, even though the Dis
tr1ct OPA is a mere subsidiary of
the parent agency, it has jurisdic-
ton over the buildings that house
the national Office.
AS matter of fact, if the local
OPA wanted to be literal about in
terpreting Leon Henderson's order,
1t could cut off rations of all non
residential buildings, Federal as well
as private, not complying with the
order of last night Such action
could be aimed not only at Federal
off1ces but at schools, police stations.
frehouses, department stores. pri-
vate Office buildings, rooming houses,
hotels-whatever buildings are heat
ed by Oil and where conversion has
not actually begun or in cases when
1T has not been satisfactorily demon
strated that it is not feasible.
No Drastic Action Seen.
There is excellent reason to be-
heve, however, that the District OPA
intends to take no such steps. Few
people hereabouts expect that dras-
TIC action, If any, will be taken be-
fore next winter. Many commercial
establishments, it is believed, will
get around to converting their plants
without much prodding after the
new Is per cent cut in allotments
becomes noticeable this week. AS
for the others-if they can manage
on so percent of last years con-
sumption, they probably will be
bothered more by their patriotic
conscience than by the OPA during
the remaining cold weeks this sea-
son.
Neither the national nor the Dis
trict OPA has relaxed its attitude
on the necessity for conversion.
But there are practical problems
involved which might make it diff
f1cult to take hard-boiled stand
on the matter at this time.
In the first place, it is scarcely a
secret that local rationing boards
are so busy with other problems
right now that they could scarcely
afford to take on the tremendous
Job of making owners of non-resi-
Dental buildings convert to coal.
Parts Hard to Get.
An even more urgent reason for
not pressing the matter now is the
incontrovertible fact that it is easv
neither to get necessary parts nor
to obtain coal once the heating
plant has been converted.
Heating contractors in the city
say that it still takes from four to
six weeks to obtain equipment from
the manufacturers. There is no
assurance, when the parts are Or
oered, that they are still being
made. Sometimes, of course, there
are parts on hand, and workrnen
can get busy right away ripping out
the oil-burning equipment. One
contractor, who thought he had
everything he needed, undertook a
job recently and discovered, after
he had taken out the boiler and
the fire bricks that certain parts
had been broken in the base when
oil had been installed years before.
He had no requirements on hand. |
So his crew had to spend a full
day putting the old oil equipment
back.
Coal Supply Small.
Those who do manage to convert
are discovering that coal is not as
bountiful as they had hoped it would
be. The strike of anthracite miners
cut deeply into the Districts sup
ply of hard coal, and many con-
sumers are having to accept bitumi-
nous coal and like it. Even if there
were enough coal in the District.
the problem Of distribution would
still remain.
Coal dealers. like everyone else,
are suffering from the shortage of
fnanpower. Even veteran customers
are learning these days that if they
want coal they must make their own
arrangements for getting it into
their bins.
Another complication is the fact
that dealers are not accepting any
new customers. Most of them can
scarcely get around to the old ones.
So, unless consumer who has con-
verted happens to have bought his
oil from a company that also deals
In coal, he may have a rough time