Evening star., 1946-05-12
Further Passenger
TruveI Reduction
Of 259o Called Off
HOPE SEEN for easing brownout
in Virginia; no additional curbs
due here. Page A-15
BY the Assooioted Press

y
ordered the railroad freight en-
barge lifted tomorrow but
slapped controls on the entire
soft coal output expected dur
ing the strike truce"
The action covers captive mines
AS we'll as others ana may with
hold coal from industry Immediately.
But it provides the Government
with an expected 20,000,000 to 25,-
100000 tons of coal to dole out to
emergency users without resorting
to seizure of the pits.
The 25 per cent reduction in pas
senger travel on coal-burning trains
is being kept in force for the present
An additional IS per cent cut slated
to start Wednesday,, however, was
called off.
Dimouts and other State and local
measures to save electric power are
to be continued. The Civilian Pro-
duction Administration, after con-
ference with other Government
agencies, announced that these steps
should go on with full vigor until
final settlement of coal negotiations
and complete resumption of coal
mining operations
Industry Is Heartened.
Hard-hit industry was heartened,
however, by removal of the freight
pan and back-to-wor announce
ments made by soft coal mines and
miners in Pennsylvania, West Vir-
ginia and elsewhere. Further rail-
road layoffs appeared to be averted.
Detroit auto factories cancelled
plans to close
The Office of Defense Transporta-
ton also lifted the limited parcel
post and express embargo. effective
tomorrow. The ban applied to pack
ages weighing more than II pounds
or having a combined girth and
length of more than go inches, an
official Of the Association of Amer
ican Railroads explained. That en-
barge went into effect at 1901 am.
Friday.
With miners generally ready to go
back to work tomorrow morning eX-
cept in several scattered locals, the
Solid Fuels Administration said
that of the 100000 tons frozen"
at the beginning Of the mine strike
April l, only 650.000 tons remained
on Thursday. The STA had given
out the supplies only to hospitals.
utilities and for similar emergency
use.
While the entire output of the
captive steel company mines will go
into the reserve pile, a great deal of
it will be unsuitable for commercial
purposes and necessarily will have
to be retained by the steel COM
panles for their own use. fuels ad-
ministration official explained.
Three Preferential Glasses.
Secretary of Interior Krug, who
heads the STA, established three
preferential classes of consumers
who will have first claim on the coal.
The public utilities. railroads and
other consumers in the hard-preSsed
essential class will have top priority.
but no consumer will be assured of
unlimited supplies. the STA ex-
planned.
The first group of preferential
consumers will receive as much coal
as they need for daily burn"
through May 81, plus 20 days re-
serve. The second group, which will
include industrial users, will receive
their daily requirements through
May 81. The third group of re-
tailers will have only enough to
meet rock bottom requirements.
Whatever coal is left after those
three classes of consumers are taken
care of will go to the industrial
stockpile.
In the first class will be: Public
utilities, railroads, 1aundries. hos
pitfalls, food processing plants Gn-
cluding milk plants. dairies and
commercial bakeries) and refriger-
alton plants. They are directed
promptly to place orders for coal
with their regular suppliers Steam
ships and tugboats on the Great
Lakes and at tidewater or on riv-
ers are authorized to receive suf-
ficient coal to permit continued op-
Grafton during May.
Industrial Consumer Glass.
The second preference class in
cludes industrial consumers. Retail
dealers, lake and tidewater dock
operators are authorized to order
coal for industrial consumers served
by them under the same limitations
The third group includes domestic
consumers served directly by the
shipper or through a retail dealer
or commercial dock operator. This
group will receive preference ito
the limited extent necessary to al
leviate actual hardship or distress "
Shippers were instructed by the
STA to give priority within cate