Evening star., 1945-09-02
Severe Coal Famine
In Europe 10 Affect
World, /, owl Declares
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Office of War Information
said yesterday that nothing ca
prevent a severe coal famine il
Europe next winter and it coul,
be drastic enough to destroy "al
semblance of law and order"
In a detailed coal report to whicl
five Government agencies and tw
economic missions contributed, tn
: Owl concluded: ~
!. Even if maximum outside ali
is Forthcoming, liberated European
nations-principally France, TIL
Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Bel
gium, Luxembourg, Greece ant
Italy-will fall at least $4,000, ,00l
tons short of normal requirements
for the coal year." ending mex
March 81.
2. If no imports are Forthcoming
these countries will be 10000, ,o0(
tons short of normal needs" anc
about 30,000,O00 tons below mini.
mum essential requirements" fol
sheer existence during the winter
World to Be Affected.
3. If the coal famine brings chaos
in Europe, the entire world economy
will be affected.
There is a worldwide shortage
OF coal, the most critically scarce
raw material needed by the Eu-
ropean economy" the report said
with the United States and Russia
affected, along with Britain and the
rest of Europe.
For the European shortage, the
report listed two basic reasons:
/. Liberated countries, never able
to supply all their own needs, will
produce only 55,00o,O00 tons this
years, compared with 100000 in
prewar 1888.
2. They will get far less coal than
usual this year from their two main
Sources-Germany and Britain.
Deficit in Britain.
Britain can supply her own ra-
toned needs but will have little
coal for export, and might have a
deficit of several million tons for
the coal year." the report said.
Russia, which never produced
much coal for export, will not even
be able to meet her own minimum
essential requirements, chiefly be-
cause of war devastation in the
Donetz basin.
Estimated United States produc-
ton and requirements indicate
Americans may have a soft coal
deficit of as much as 15,0OO,0 900 tons
and an anthracite shortage of H.
000,000 tons. American require
ments," incidentally, include 22,-
100000 tons for Canada and 1000, 900
for export to South America.
100000 Tons From U. S.
This outlook thus makes it appear
unlikely that the United States can
do any better than the 100000 tons
OF coal it is scheduled to ship to
liberated Europe by next January /.
Hence the report indicates that
the only real hope of substantially
improving the European outlook lies
in stepping up the output of the
war-battered German mines. The
highest estimate of German coal
likely to be available for export dur
ing the current coal year" is U.s.
100000 tons.
Nearly all coal-producing areas of
Northwest particularly
those of Germany-will face four
production obstacles, the report
said. These are:
l. Destruction to mines and min
ing facilities.
2. Breakdowns of equipment which
became obsolescent or run down
during the war.
Labor Problem Present.
3. Shortages of essential supplies
such as pitwood, conveyer betting,
explosives, lubricants and hosting
cables.
4. Labor problems, chiefly Difficult
ties of obtaining food, housing and
transportation for miners.
Even with adequate manpower
and transportation, anticipated
maximum production for Western
German mines by the end of 1945,
according to the report, would be
as follows:
Ruhr and Saar, rs per cent of
1888; Aachen, so per cent; Cologne
area, IS per cent.
Germans to Use Wood.
The Allies are determined that
every ounce" of coal that can be
mined n Germany above occupa-
tion military needs are bare mini
mum needs for the most essential
services" will be distributed to lib
Grated nations, the report said.
Coal needs within Germany, other
than military requirements, must
be reduced to rock bottom" and
''the German homes will have to be
heated with wood this winter" it
added.
France, with the largest needs and
an estimated minimum essential"
import requirement of 100000
tons, will probably be allocated "the
largest share of whatever coal ton
mage can be exported from Ger
many." the report said.