» at BOX a rs eC USPS 117-720 ~ NEWSPAPER fOUN DAT on 1979-1980 Vol.98 No. 29 INTHIS ISSUE 20 cents ‘BOBREAERRERD teach his young daughter how to swim and Margaret Hoidra waves to someone she spies on shore. In the background, others enjoy the calm water of the lake that afternoon. (Photo by Mark Moran) | : : Southern recipes 0000000060000 i COOL WATERS--Enjoying cool waters of Sandy Beach, one warm sh : 3 | day last week were young and old from: the Back Mountain and : Wyoming Valley. Left, Michael St. Pierre cools off while trying to Valley “doesn’t | Moran) by Charlot Denmon The Governor's Energy Council may believe there will be a shortage of heating oil in Pennsylvania this winter but local heating oil sup- pliers do not anticipate such a problem. A survey of five Back Mountain fuel suppliers, who requested that their names be withheld, indicated that they were able to supply all of their customers. In fact, four of the five said that they were continuing to take on new customers. One of the five has limited its customers to 15-day credit, budget or cash on delivery. However, a spokesman for the company said that very few of their customers stay with the budget program. x The company is under contract with its supplier and during June and July received only 70 percent of its allocation. “In August we went back to 100 percent. We have nearly 200,000 gallon storage but we can’t get enough to fill our tanks. Each month we go to the state's ‘set aside’’ but we don’t get as much as we need,” said the spokesman. “The price of kerosene and fuel oil has nearly doubled in the past year.” A second company has plenty of storage and also gets as much heating oil as it needs. The owner of the company said that they are currently are carrying 30-day ac- a N 5 E 2 “We don’t get any advance notice about price increases, however,” he said. ‘But our retail prices are in line with other dealers in the area. And presently, we are not on any allocation agreement. “Prices will probably go up to 85.9-86.9 but I don’t believe they will go to a dollar a gallon. “If conditions continue as they are at present I don’t see any shortage but there are many factors involved such as weather, tem- perature, ete.” One of the larger dealers serving the Back Mountain with two oil trucks on the road reported that they were accepting new customers and had no problems. Neither did they anticipate any shortage. A spokesman for the company, in the absence of the owner, said that they were under contract and were presently receiving 80 percent of their allocation. He also said that they have plenty of storage which, coupled with their allocation, gives them plenty of oil for delivery. “Our prices are in line with other dealers in the area,” he said. ‘However, the wholesaler’s price to us goes up about every two weeks and they give us only eight to 10 hours notice. “The price increases haven't stopped during the past six months and there is no way I can predict when the price will level off. I don’t believe that it will go to a dollar a ER J gallon. It has increased on the average of 4 cents per month over the past six months. “We have cash customers, 30-day accounts and budget customers and we do not anticipate changing our system.” The owner of one of the smaller companies, with only one heating oil truck on the road, said that there was sufficient heating oil but not always here when it was needed. “There are transportation problems,” he said, “but there is plenty of product. The price has gone up over 40 percent during the go higher. ~ “Igotonly a few hours notice that the price is going up and I have to A { 3 ge Seth pass on the increase to my customers, which doesn’t always make for good public relations. All our deliveries are cash.” The dealer said that he was ac- cepting new customers on a limited basis. “You lose some customers to ones.” When asked how high he expected the price of heating oil to go, the dealer said he expected it to go up to about 85 or 86 cents per gallon. The fifth company contacted said that he has plenty of storage and even though he is on allocation he had plenty of oil for his customers. (Continued on P. 4)
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