Evening star., 1948-05-24
Oil Crisis CHALLENGES
Coal Industry, Adds 10
Threat Of j. ). Control
By Edword J. Donohos
North American Newspaper AIliones

The old saying that cts an i'll
wind that blows no one some good"
is acutely exemplified by the Ma
tion's oil shortage.
To tens Of thousands Of OIL
heated homes, primarily in the East,
next winter will bring worry, dis
comfort and perhaps undrecedented
suffering.
On the other hand, the shortage
spells opportunity for coal-partic-
ularly the basic anthracite home
heating industry Of Northeastern
Pennsylvania.
The 1948-49 heating season is six
months away, but for coal and oil
it has already taken form and sub
stance as q challenge and a threat.
The challenge to coal is one Of pro-
duction and merchandising. Both,
oil men contend, can stand improve
ment. The threat to oil is not q new
one, but it Is more meriacing than
ever before. 1t is Government regu-
lation or control.
Consumers Caught Between.
Caught between the supply-de-
mand pincers Of the oil crisis Is a
vast army of consumers.
Shipments by oil-heat equipment
manufacturers and installation sta
tistics dramatically demonstrate the
relatively overnight growth OF this
domestic consumer segment.
During the first II months Of
1947. according to Government and
industry estimates, more than
100000 residential oil heating
units were shipped to dealers. This
was an increase OF 230 per cent
over the corresponding period OF
1916. Actual installations approx
mated 10000 units.
Each residential unit consumes,
On the average, about 1900 gallons
Of fuel oil per year.
3,235,52z Burners IN Uss.
Equipment industry estimates
show the average Of these burners
in use last year rs 3,235,522. For
1913 the estimated average has ad-
vanced to 3,875,00 and for next
year 1t will be AGO. 900, based on &C
cumulated demand.
More than 100000 oil space
heaters were shipped to dealers in
1947. About 1,800,0 900 were installed
Each burns a yearly average Of
about 600 gallons.
Domestic oil-burner installations
during 1916 and 1947 in new homes,
conversions from other fuels-prin-
cipally coal-and requirements of
worn-out burners aggregated 1,300,-
600 units.
Here was a fantastic Increase
more than 81 per cent greater than
all the burners similarly installed
in the previous II years. But here
also is an articulate consuming
group whose collective voice of
protest against short oil supply was
heard during the last two winters
with disturbing Clarity by their
congressional representatives.
Consumers Alarmed.
These consumers, many of whom
have heated their homes with oil for
years, cannot be expected to take
kindly to strong hints of even more
critical shortages ahead, in spite of
ample evidence that the petroleum
industry has done and is doing a
remarkable supply and processing
job.
The recent recruit to oil for home
heating, who has brand-new
burner in his basement awaiting its
fall debut - but who installed it
without written contract guaran-
teeing adequate fuel oil deliveries
is in desperate position. Let there
be no mistake about that.
1t is to guard against this Distress
ing possibility that the responsible
petroleum industry has been cau-
tioning for many months against a
runaway expansion of oil home
heating.
Not Alone to Blame.
Certainly the user of oil for home
heating is not exclusively responsible
for the fact that there are more
petroleum products now being con-
sumed in this country than the
entire world consumed in 1898.
Nor is 1t his fault that the con-
sumption increase will continue,
with production remaining, at best,
relatively static.
He does, however, fit into the sta
tistical picture disclosing a 1947 per
capita consumption of petroleum
products in the United States of sos
gallons This is equal to IA big A.
gallon steel drums with four 5-gal-
lon cans left over-for every man,
woman and child.
The increase from 1938-when
American per capita consumption of