Evening star., 1941-08-25
Gasoline
Continued From First Page.)

numbers on his customers card as
the number of gallons of gasoline
sold. With the purchase of the first
five gallons, numbers / through
would be punched, and with the sec
ond five gallons numbers 6 through
10 would be knocked out. If a
motorist appeared at q gas station
with a punched, he could get
more gallons and then would have to
wait until the end of the month to
get more.
Seven Coupons Attached.
To make sure the dealer was not
"bootlegging" gasoline by selling
more than the amount thus regis
tered on the consumers card. each
card would have seven coupons at
tached.
: When a dealer served a customer,
he would punch the amount of his
sale on a coupon, as we'll as on the
card. He would tear OF this coupon
and keep 1t. Each month he would
be given a new supply of gasoline
equivalent to the amount registered
on all his coupons for the previous
month.
Consumers would fall in different
classes and receive various types Of
ration cards. A physician or travel
ing salesman would receive q ration
card emitting him to more gasoline
than a "non-preferred" motorist.
Motorists have been "humbugged
from day to day" by conflicting
statements from Federal agencies
and oil and transportation interests,
Mr.. Henry declared in a statement
which indicated some doubt about
whether gas shortage actually ex-
lists, and whether Federal control
Of supplies is necessary"
Questions and Answers.
Feeling that the public has not
been satisfied on these points, the
ONCE of the Defense Petroleum Co.
ordinator issued to the press today
a series of simplihed questions and
answers:
Question: Is it true that stocks
of gasoline on the East Coast are
ample?
Answer: No. Stocks of gaso-
line are lower than last year at
this time. In addition, consump-
ton is greater and transportation
facilities are less.
Question: Will the East Coast
run completely out of gasoline and
oil?
Answer: Not II motorists con-
serve. If they conserve, the many
steps taken by the Government to
get supplies to the East Coast area
assure a continued, though reduced,
supply Of gasoline"
Hasn't Encouraged" Raises.
Discussing the question Of scat
tered" price rises, an official of the
petroleum co-ordinator's Office COM
mented that no price boosting has
been encouraged. He said the CO.
ordinator has opposed fostering Of,
or permitting, price rises as q means
of curtailing sales, feeling other
ways were better.
One Of Mr.. Henderson's staff said
1t was his understanding that price
increases have come from independ-
ent filling station operators with
whom the once of Price Admin
stration and Civilian Supply has
had little contact. The agency does
have an agreement with the major
oil companies that they will not
raise prices before consulting with
the Government, and no consulta-
tions have taken place. No such
agreement now exists with the re-
tailers, it was said.
Responsibility was also tenta-
lively fixed upon the retailers by
the A. A. A., which declared that
consumer increases are not trace
able to increased prices to dealers
This feature will be presented to
any congressional investigating
committee, it was stated.
Rationing System Still Vague.
Locally. the rationing system ap-
peared to be still unco-ordinated
today. A spokesman for the re-
tailers said oil companies had not
Strengthened out the procedure an
nounced late Saturday by Acting
Petroleum Co-ordinator Ralph K.
Davies for making the August quota
of gasoline last until Saturday.
Mr.. Davies said that oil suppliers
would dole out the quota for each
station in daily dribles. to prevent
exhaustion. But some suppliers were
setting the Washington station quota
at IS per cent Of the same period
in August, 1870, some at 80 per cent
of July, and some at 80 per cent Of
July, the spokesman said.
A reporters check Of Prince
Georges County filling stations indi-
Gated that the same situation exists
outside the CITY, Deliveries to sta
tions were based on various 1910 and