Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-06
u. ). Ban Seen
On New Natural
Gas Equipment
Drive Pushed Here
To Cut Off Expansion
Of Heating Facilities

freeze on new equipment using
natural gas for heating purposes
today overshadowed a drive to cut
off expansion of gas heating facil-
tiles in the District.
In the face of stepped-up de-
Tense needs, growing concern over
natural gas supplies were reflect
ed in these two separate develop
ments:
l.. The Petroleum AdminiStra-
ton for Defense disclosed it has
drafted a tentative nationwide
order" to shut off installation Of
new gas heating equipment and tc
require Federal approval of any
new large-volume users of natura
gas. The heating restriction also
would cover conversions to gas
from other types of fuel.
2. Suppliers of the Washington
Gas Light Co. formally asked the
District Public Utilities Commits
sion to schedule a hearing on q
requested shutdown on new gas
heating facilities within the city
Decision on Hearing Next Week.
Commission Chairman James H
Flanagan said he does not expect
a decision on the hearing request
until next week.
The suppliers earlier this week
filed similar petitions in nearby
Maryland and Virginia, but cor
respondence failed to reach the
PUG because it was addressed to
the District Public Service Com
mission Mr.. Flanagan said.
Disclosure of the Government s
plans brought an immediate pro-
test in the form of a barrage of
kilograms to the Senate Small
Business Committee. Committee
aides said more than 100 wires
were received, chiefly from dealers
and distributors of gas appliances
Meanwhile, Federal officials
stressed there is no definite de-
cision to issue the tentative Ma
tion-wide draft, and they saw little
likelihood that definite action
would be taken before the end OF
the month. 1t will be discussed on
Monday with gas industry repre-
sentatives and again on July %
by the Interior Departments Ga.
Industry Advisory Committee.
But I can say this. one tor
official told a reporter-"I think
it wouldn't have gone this far un.
less we considered it very likel!
necessary
Prompt Exemptions Seen.
Deputy Petroleum Administra
tor Bruce K. Brown said it is sex
pected that there would be promp
exemptions from or modification.
of such an order, if it is issued
where ever the natural gas sup
plies are adequate"
There is no intention here o.
working a hardship on any one,
he said. But it is obvious that tt
protect both industry and thu
home consumers of gas from harm
some action must be taken i'm
mediately."
c. P. Rather, deputy admins
traitor for gas, said the presen
thinking is that any such orde
should apply nationally. with sup
pliers able to ask for relief from
the order where adequate sup
plies prevailed. The reasonin
behind this, he explained, is tn
difficulty in "pin-pointing" tn
adequate, areas. However, afte
discussions with industry leaders
he said, it might be possible to sin
gle out such areas beforehand.
Applies Only To New Uses
The official stressed that tn
draft would not restrict use of ga
for cooking, water heaters or re
frigeration and would not appl
retroactively to existing commit
ments. So far as hometown ar
concerned, it would apply only t
new installations or conversio
after a certain date.
On both the local and nations
levels, officials behind the restric
tive moves cited the need for ad
vance planning to protect preser
consumers of gas. Cutbacks j
present use by large-volume user
or home-ow will be avoide
at all costs, if possible. they said
Mr.. Brown put the blame fl
the "basic situation" on inadequat
amounts of steel available to com
plete essential pipelines during tt
third quarter of this year, and +
warned that, unless some prom
action is taken, "a serious gs
shortage almost certainly will cor
front us next winter"
Unable to Complete Projects.
He said steel available for 6.
transmission amounts to only
per cent of the absolute minimum
needs as determined by PAD
which is not enough to compile
"even the ghest-priority projec
already under construction ar
essential to meet this winter
requirements"
Meanwhile" he declared, "dt
nestle, commercial and all il
dustrial uses of natural gas, ,
we'll as new uses definitely n
lated to national defense, a.
growing by leaps and bound
PAD recently made spot surv'
of estimated peak demands Fl
natural gas this winter as con
pared with last. Companies sea
tered all over said thu
looked for increases from IL
% per cent above their last winter
peaks.
1--WE can only hope that SUI
f1cient steel will eventually
made available by the Defen
Production Authority to CORE
the basic situation"
The term natural gas,' as us
in the PAD order draft. mea
either unmixed or any mixture
natural with manufactured gas
Inquest Holds Man, 26,