Evening star., 1941-07-20
Public Warned
Travel May Be
Curbed Later
More Acute Shortage
Of Gasoline Feared,
Railroads Rushed
By FRANK MacM1LLEN,

up the buggy. Pile in the wife and
both the kids
Or hop the excursion tram and
60 up to the big town for week.
Have fun, Joe. It's a fast moving
world.
Yes. Joe-or maybe you're Tom,
or Mike. maybe Tony, or Stanislaus,
or Pete.
Roll, while the rollings good
That's the boiled down private
advice of some mighty smart men
in business, government, industry,
finance.
This may be the last Summer for
some time when YOU can do exactly
what YOU please with your time off.
and, if you're like most Americans,
time off from the job means going
places. Places may not be so easy
to go to soon. Maybe sooner than
YOU think.
Why?
Well. especially if you live east
Of the Mississippi north of the
SOuthernmost tier of States. by next
summer. maybe sooner. YOU may not
get gasoline for fun purposes.
More Tankers Needed
The Government already has
taken from the oil companies 80
tankerS which formerly brought
crude petroleum from the fields
around the Gulf Coast to the big
refineries Of the East Coast, where
it was turned into gasoline.
This week reliable sources in the
oil trade heard that the Govern
ment needed IA more of the tank
boats in the next 30 DAYS. a total of
so before the year is out
That would leave the oll-Carrylng
routes from the gulf to the sea-
board with about 65 per cent of
normal carrying space.
When the first so boats went n
the L. S. Navy and Britain, oil men
carried on somehow Old pipe
lines were used. in some cases their
direction of flow reversed. Tankers
were loaded below their PIimsoll
lines. More tank cars were rushed
into use New pipelines were
planned-theyM take a year or
more Ships were made to run
faster. turn around more quickly,
make more trips per month.
Oil men were agreed the Eastern
Seaboard could get along without
any official action to cut your ga5s
consumption, thought the Govern
ment still was not sure.
Difficulties FOreSeen.
II more tankers go. and new ones
the oil companies are building are
taken over as fast as completed for
the Navy or the battle of the At
lantic, the situation may be very
different.
Oil & Gas journal. a trade
authority, said fat-footedIy this
week that While it had been be-
Heved that emergency measures had
offset the requisirioning of the first
oO tankerS, 1T is agreed the indus
try cannot balance its present sup
ply and demand if another 50 tank
erS are removed from coaStwise
service over the next few months"
II you live west Of the MisSiSsippI
River. you probably won't have this
problem vet. But it is pointed out
more tank cars needed in the East
may mean fewer in the West.
Wherever you live. a cheap ex-
curSlon on the train may not come
your way so easily. Maybe not at
all. later.
I1p-of came this week when the
ASSOCIATION of American Railroads
asked the roads of the Southeast
10 cut out all excursions TO facilitate
troop movements.
No time limit was set on the re-
quest.
But this may be significant Rail-
roads moved 1852 ,3O3 members of
the armed forces in the first half
OF this year, score of thousand
carloads. Transportation men saw
they are informed troop movements
Tor the balance of the year will no
notably heavier. 1t may also provo
important later, rail operating off,
Gals said. that while priorities ON
materials have been granted them
10 build more freight cars. addi-
tlonaI passenger coaches rank mere
~ with other civilian needs for s-ch
necessities AS steel, skilled labor.
electrical equipment, air brakes and
the like
Service Already Cut.
Farther north along the Eastern
Seaboard. from Washington to tina
oorder, the principal passenger car.
rlerS report they have received no
requests to curtail special vacation
ana excursion services. though thew
nave already had to do so of their
own accord at times when troops
were moving in volume, especially
when 1urloughs were given for hol.
idays.
The official of one railroad said.
We are planning special trips ONLY
from week TO week. instead of for
Ile whole vacation period. Anything
can happen"
RalIroad men, too, have tricks bv
which they can stretch passenger
carrying ability and most are ami
10 De used before the emergency is
over, they think. The Interstate
Commerce Commission. they hear
Is about to urge them to eliminate
duplicating facilities-two trips on
parallel roads to the same place at
ABOUT the same time is an instance
OH ana automobile men say the
Government realizes and is worried
about the implications of a possible
OIL shortage in the East and the
effect that a smaller supply of auto
mobiles next year as factories are
turned to tanks and planes NAV
have on things more important than
vacations.
The Automobile Manufacturers,
Association, working with seven
State highway departments. esti-
mated this week on the basis of
surveys that more than so per cent
OF your gasoline is burned in "nece,.
sltous driving get YOU To ana
from the job, to make your ROUNDS
as salesman, TO take the kids IN
Sch0nl hrj7n c1,r,,1ioe