Evening star., 1951-07-04
Gas
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while, the Government set up a
special committee of Oil industry
officials to plan for a possible re-
organization of American petro-
leum facilities for supplying
friendly nations in an emergency.
Clearly indicating concern over
the Iranian oil dispute-and its
threat to the Western worlds oil
supply system-Interior Secretary
Chapman yesterday named to the
committee officials of 19 American
companies which operate overseas.
He asked them to meet Thursday
in New York.
Mr.. Chapman named Stewart
P. Coleman, a director of Stand
ard Oil of New Jersey, to head
the group.
Industry Is Disturbed.
Members of the gas industry were
disturbed by both reports of i'm
pending Federal controls and by
action taken in the adjoining
States of Maryland and Virginia.
An official of large mid West
ern gas furnace manufacturing
firm told The Star by telephone
that a Federal order prohibiting
gas furnaces in new homes would
put many distributors out of
business. Many, he said. would
be caught with large inventories.
The vice president of a Wash
Ilngton furnace distributing firm
blamed the situation on John L.
Lewis. He said the Government
was playing into the hands of
Mr.. Lewis mine workers by fore
ing consumers to use up large
stockpiles of coal. Then. he rea-
soned, the miners would be in a
stronger position to demand higher
wages when cold weather sets in.
Petitions In Two States.
| Developments in Maryland and
Virginia took the form of petit
tionS for orders directing SUBJ
Salaries of the Washington Gas
Light Co. to cut down their sale
of gas for home heating in the
suburbs.
In Virginia, the petition was filed
before the State Corporation Com
mission against the Rosslyn Gas
Co. serving Arlington, Alexandria
Falls Church and Fairfax. In
Maryland. the petition was before
the Public Service Commission
against the Washington Gas Light
Co. of Maryland, Inc.
Both petitions were filed by SUBJ
salaries of the. vast Columbia Gas
System, Inc in the Old Domin-
ion by the Virginia Gas Transims-
sion Corp. and in Maryland by
the Atlantic Seaboard Corp.
! Gas for cooking and refrigera-
ton would not be affected.
/ Reasons for Restrictions.
! Reasone given for restrictions
were these:
Increased building of homes anc
apartment houses; conversion tt
gas from coal and oil; increased
, industrial use attributable to the
: defense effort and the Korean
; war; increased consumption last
winter because of the severe
> weather in some areas; deliverie:
from the Southwest have faller
short.
S Also, conditions beyond its con-
troll will prevent storing gas thi'
summer shortage of steel ha'
/ hampered the expansion of pro
= duction, transmission and storage
facilities, and last winters sever'
S weather delayed pipeline construc
|, ton.
Y The petitions say there is
e critical shortage of natural ga
q and warn of dire results" if NOR
e customers are put on the pipe
= lines.
= In Maryland, the Cumberlan'
= g. Allegany Gas Co. and tn
l, Hagerstown Gas. Co., both draw
f ing from the Columbia system
: have put on restrictions volun
r tarily, the Associated Press re
= ported.
= Adopted Elsewhere.
n New York and Pennsylvani
(. already have adopted restriction
: sought by the companies Will
Columbia affiliates are workin
n for similar freezes in Kentucky
n West Virginia and Ohio.
Several weeks ago, the Virgins