Show I Fight Between Gas I And Coal Concerns J Looms in Salt Lake Derns Dern's Letter Declares in Favor of Smokeless City Also Use of Utah Coalt Coal J I f t By Frank A. A Hunt Strenuous h and organized opposition is developing in I Utah Utah on the part of coal operators and others ers t to td an announced n flounced plans of f bringing natural gas gas io to Salt Lake from the Wyoming oil fields I Anticipating the gigantic struggle le which looms here Gov Gov- r or George H. H Dern has has has' written a letter In which he declares that he is Interested In seeing a smokeless smoke less S Salt Lake City and a continued continued continued contin contin- use se of ot Utah coal If it these thes' desirable results can be aCh achieved eu ed concurrently The letter addressed to Samuel Insull president o of ot the Commonwealth Common on wealth Edito company compan 72 West WE-st Adams street Chicago III Ill Is as follo follows vs Dear sir I 1 am Informed that you control the Utah Gas and Coke company of Salt Lake City and I r therefore take the liberty of addressing addressing addressing ad ad- dressing you on a subject that I conceive to be beof of great importance to to the city slid and also alsa to io the sta state e et of t Utah I l have heard reports that the Utah Gas and Coke company is about to 0 o enter Into some come sort of an arrangement whereby natural gas fr from m Wyoming will be piped to this city to be dis distributed l by the gas company SMOKE NUISANCE I am and have for many years ears been a resident of or Salt Lake City A number of ot years ago go I 1 was chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of t a smoke abatement committee committee committee com com- of our chamber of commerce commerce com corn merce and I m made de an Intensive study of the smoke n nuisance which is one of ot our gravest problems Ever sine since that time I have maintained a lively Interest In our smoke problem and I am more than ever fever Convinced that if Salt alt Lake City Is to o regain Its attractiveness as a place of ot winter resi residence l It must eliminate the smoke nuisance Not only is this essential but al also o oon on account of ot economic and health considerations I long ago C dime came Co to the conclusion that smoke prevention prevention prevention tion ordinances and smoke Inspectors tors tore were futile palliates and ind that the only way to solve the she problem must be by getting smokeless fuels At the same time I do not It believe possible to force torce the people leopie to use a smokeless fuel file that will vill Increase their expenses COAL PRo PROCESSING esSING I I 1 have ha been vet vely very greatly Interested interested interested Inter inter- ested in the results obtained by the United States bur bureau au of mines s in processing Utah coals so as t to produce produce produce pro pro- duce two smokeless fuels vii viz low temperature cok coke and gas as well as oil and other by It has seemed to me that the results obtained by the bureau of ot mines on Utah coals coats at its and Salt Lake plants constitute the most promising development for the so solution so- so lution of our smoke problem If Jf the reported results can be verified d and if It the scheme Is feasible from a commercial standpoint it seems to tome tome tome me it would be very at attractive be because because because be- be cause It would solve the smoke problem for Salt Lake City without without without with with- out interfering with the production of ot our Utah coal mines To bring Wyoming natural gasto gas gasto gasto to this city would apparently not solve our smoke difficulties beC because it could not be p put t Into universal use ue Such being the case it might actually do harm because It would Interfere with the Installation of some m more re thoroughgoing method of ot meeting the situation We Ve are of ot course intensely ly Interested in interested interested in- in In keeping our Utah industries indus indus- tries in a flourishing nourishing cond condition tion and If It the Salt Lake City smoke problem problem lem can be solved just as effectively effectively and perhaps more so by using Utah coal as b by bringing In Wyoming Wyo 0 ming na natural ural gas it would manifestly mani be good state policy to prefer preter the former INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIAL PHASE T. T I 1 have no doubt that your public Utility the Utah Gas and Coke company company com com- pany desires the growth and of ot Salt Lake City and also wants wants' the tte good will of the public May I therefore therdore respectfully suggest that you give consideration to he subject of this letter before taking definite action l' l I 1 do not wish tobe tobe to tobe be understood as indorsing any particular particular par par- scheme but I am very much Interested in seeing a smokeless Salt Lake City and a continued use of ot Utah coal if It these two desirable results can can be achieved concur concur- Meetings of or the executives of several Utah coal prod producing cing com com- Continued on page 4 tk FIGHT BETWEEN N i COAL AND GAS GAS' i f CONCERNS LOOMS i Continued from page 1 fJ panes panes have nave been held tel td discuss discusS' the theand c 4 subject and to organize organise for a ba battle tle i with the oil and gas interests S Proponents of the movement to bring natural gas to Salt Lake de declare declare de- de clare dare th that t the fuel will be far ch cheaper aper than coal and will be much more readily available They also declare that It Is the only complete complete r and an satisfactory solution of the smoke problem COAL EXECUTIVES COMPLAIN S Utah hold that every p pocketbook In Utah may feel the thel l' l result suIt of the issue at hand Coal Coal Coal- men assert that the annual payroll of or th the Industry both at the mines and a at the centers of or distribution which amounts to annually annually an- an would be greatly reduced if it natural gas was brought here They declare that hundreds of or men med would be thrown out but of ot work workS and would leave the state with their theirS S S families The railroads are also lining lining lining lin lin- lin- lin ing up with the as much of or their revenue Is derived from 5 hauling coal They point out that most of this money Is spent in Utah They say that their payroll In Utah would be cut to a a. large extent If it the hauling of or coal to Salt Lake should cease PAYROLLS CONSIDERED also assert that many S people will not be able to o afford the appliances that will be required If gas Is s used for heating purposes ses Louis Karrick an expert on the subject of fuel has proposed a a. plant plantS S that has attracted much attention and arid which he declares will eliminate eliminate nate rate the smoke nuisance He proposes proposes proposes pro pro- poses the erection of ot a plant that will bring about a low temperature carbonization of the coal oal oa and so treat It that a a. coke or artificial anthracite anthracite an an- product will vIlI be left A natural gas product will be produced which he sa says Lays s 's can be utilIzed utilized utilized util util- by local ocal gas companies compani s. s His plan It Is said would increase the payroll of the state without In Increasing increasing increasing in- in creasing the cost of fuel and would at the same time eliminate all smoke OIL OlL RETARDS INDUSTRY According to the coal producers the th coal mines have advanced little since the use of or fuel fuei oil became common six years ears ago Most 1 of the railroads running from Salt Lake ow us use f fuel r rS oil t i with f W tle f j p o of f the Oregon Short Line Lin The railroads were formerly a. a large market fl r Utah Utaji coal according to tolie the lie producers The initial cost of bringing In the pipeline which It Is said would terminate In some oil fieldin field in n Wyoming would be about 15 according to reports but after fter this the expense of supplying the he gas would be very little as it would flow like water Disinterested experts on the sub- sub of fuels declare that the problem problem lem em is one of ot the greatest future importance to Salt Lake and that both sides of ot the controversy will require careful consideration and that lat both have ha merits that deserve tudy because of hope contained therein herein of ot finding a solution of the growing rowing smoke menace |