Show SHORTAGE OF FUEL Senate Committee Continues Its Investigation In-vestigation Into tho Coal Situation Situ-ation at Washington Washington Jan IThe Senate Committee Com-mittee on tho District of Columbia today continued Its Investigation Into the shortage short-age of the coal supply In Vashlngton Joseph Crawford general agent of the Pennsylvania railroad sold that during the past year there had been a decrease In the quantity of anthracite coal brought to Washington over his line amounting to 30 per ent but that during the months of November and December there had been an Increase over the normal receipts re-ceipts He said there had been no in crcuse in the rates from the mineR V Zee a local dealer said that It was much easier lo secure coal from Independent Inde-pendent companies than from the mines owned by the railroad companies and In this connectIon an effort was made to show that the large companies were disposing dis-posing of their product through tho small ones In order to keep prices up The fact was brought out that there arc now In the bins of the capital about 300 tons of coal but It was stated that there has been days when there was no certainty as to whether there would be sufficient quantity for twentyfour hours Charles Wcllor of the Associated Churl ties of the District of Columbia said there I had been much suffering among the poor on account of the coal scarcity |