Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-09
BaIIyhoo
Needed for
Gas Saving
U. S. viii Cut Fuel Use
if Idea Really Catches
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

THE present haphazard. helter-
SHELTER. implanted method
Of cutting gasoline consumption
in the eastern part of the United
States either isn't going to work
or it Is going to raise unneces-
sary and unshirted hell with
business. employment and the
domestic and economic life of
large part of our population.
A voluntary pledge to cut
each citizens consumption Of
gas by one-third and the alter
native universal threat to ration
the use Of gas by pleasure au-
tomobiles" to five gallons q
week are equally silly.
In the first place, there are
precious few people who know
what their actual consumption
Of gas has been. 1t varies with
seasons and occasions. A pledge
Of that sort is TO perform a
mathematical operation on an
unknown quantity. 1t is so
absurd as to give an element of
unreality to the whole effort. II
/ pledge myself to do something
which can't be defined, i am
either a careless promiser or an
irresponsible citizen.
IN THE second place, what IS
pie sure automobile?
Millions of American workers
travel to their daily jobs at
plants located far from their
homes in automobiles of styles
varying from coffee-mill jail
Topics TO more recent acquisi-
tions.
This condition Is intrinsic In
the revolution in our economic
system and territorial redistri-
button OF home sand factories
created by the automobile it
self. These cars, after trans
porting the manpower Of our in
dustrial effort. remain parked
and idle during the working
day-and they go home again
in the evening. Are they pleas
ure cars" or a necessary part
of our industrial system?
When / entered the farm-im-
plement industry in 1919 il was
an axiom proved by experience
and study that a farmer could
not go more than Z miles for his
repairs. Spare parts for inple-
ments and their instant avail
ability and complete inter-
changeability are necessary TO
modern mechanical agricul-
ture.
You can't let a whole harvest
spoil because a gear on a
header-thresher has gone hay
wire. So repair depots were
pretty accurately located on a
Emile radius. When l left the
industry in 1926, and due TO the
automobile, that radius had ex-
tended to 80 miles. The whole
farm industry is geared to the
use of little cars. Are they
pleasure automobiles. even
though they are sometimes used
TO go to the movies?
4 ND which Of these can cut
"A their consumption one-third
regardless of season and pres
sure of work? And can any Of
them perform their functions on
) gallons Of gas a week? You
can't apply such. cast iron rules
without chaos. Gas consump-
ton depends on the age and
quality of the car, the infinite
variety OF distance involved in
its daily use for purposes some
times not pleasureables at all,
the difference between busy and
slack seasons and a hundred
other controlling circumstances
too numerous to discuss.
There is way 10 do what Is
sought-and more. You can ac-
complish almost anything in
this country by universal volun-
tary effort. But it requires five
things.
You must sell" your PROPOSE
ton by full and frank dis
closure of facts and figures
proving necessity.
You must have a supporting
voluntary, crusading uncompen-
stated organization of leading
citizens in every locality.
What you ask must be in
common-Sense flexibility for the
infinite variety of needs.
You must have inspirational
leadership.
And not 10 mince words, you
must prepare the ground by
perfectly conditioned ballyhoo.
| / KNOW something about this.
4 / was part of an organization
that sold reluctant country
the first consumption in our his
tory 10 a point of enthusiastic.
crusading, universal compliance.
/ was part of another that plss-
tered the blue eagle and its
sacrificial rules over 97ia per
cent Of American establishments
subject TO its statute 10 a re-
employment of nearly 100000
people and an increase of more
than $1,000 100000 in pay rolls.
Both efforts were completed
In six weeks time, but both were
Il III II