Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-11-22
Coal WaIkout
Boosts Demand
For Oil Heating
Flood of Inquiries
About Equipment
Reported by Dealers

Recurrent coal troubles are help.
ing to boom business In the oil heat
ing industry.
This was the report today Of dis.
tributors and retailers Of fuel oil
and oil heating equipment and cor
roborated by users and prospective
users Of oil for heating.
A survey revealed that hundreds
Of business establishments and an
estimated $4,000 residences In the
Metropolitan Area already have In
stalled oil equipment for heating.
just how many additional pres
emit users Of coal would like to con-
vert to oil was impossible to deter.
mine, but dealers in oil and heat
ing equipment said they have been
flooded with inquiries since first
threats Of the present soft coal
strike.
Not Enough Equipment.
However, the demand for equip
ment far exceeds the supply. There
are not enough oil heating units
available to be Of much help In
easing the problems of those who
now depend on coal for fuel.
Dealers believe the conversions
from coal to oil will increase after
the strike, both in Washington and
in the Nation as q whole. The
same thing happened after the coal
strike in May, they said, and the
expectation Is that 1t will happen
on an even larger scale as a result
of the present trouble.
While numerous reasons were
cited as encouraging a trend from
coal to oil, most important among
them was the uncertainty Of getting
coal because of strikes.
Typical was the comment of D. A.
Stalker, manager Of the willard
Hotel, which converted to oil during
the summer.
"We could not feel sure Of the
supply or the price of coal" he re.
marked. There is plenty of oil. So
the Willard converted to OIL"
Other Considerations.
However, he explained, there were
other considerations leading to the
change overwhelming cleanliness
and convenience in handling.
The Willard Is one among many
Washington hotels using oil. Others
include the Mayfiower, Shoreham,
Statler, Harrington and Washing
ton among the larger hotels, and
many Of the smaller ones.
Some, as in the case of the Shore
ham, have been equipped for Oil
from the outset. Manager L. Gard
lner Moore said the building was de-
signed for oil heating.
Others, like the Mayhower, were
forced to make total or partial con-
versions from oil to coal during the
war. 5 At the Mayfiower, the CONVEX
sion was so per cent.
But we went back to oil 100 per
cent as soon as restrictions were re-
moved" said an official of the May
foHer. Convenience and cleanliness
were given as chief reasons for the
preference for oil there.
Many Apartments Use OH.
Hundreds OF apartment houses,
large and small, were listed as users
of oil. Included among them are
the Pail Mall, Bay State, Maury,
Westminster, Fairfax Village, Buck
ingham Community, Inc; Arlington
Village and Piney Branch.
Many Government facilities are
heated with oil, including National
Airport and about so buildings in
the District. Government usage was
estimated at about 10000 900 gallons
annually In the District.
Many Office and public buildings,
such as the International and Ma.
tional Press Buildings and the Scot.
fish Rite Temple, $500 Sixteenth
street NV, use oil. The same thing
is true of large numbers of industrial
plants, warehouses and retail estab.
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