Evening star., 1941-08-24
plan Promises Gas
For All Motorists on
Labor Day Week End
Davies Would Permit
Purchases on Saturday
From September Quote

Federal officials came up yesterday
with a plan to avert the predicted
gasoline shortage over Labor Day
week end and it appeared that
there would be ample gasoline for
every one, after all.
Acting Petroleum Co-ordinator
Ralph K. Davies announced the life
saver late in the day. He said that
dealers tanks would be filled next
Saturday so that they would have
plenty for holiday travellers. The
gasoline distributed on Saturday,
however will be charged against the
dealers quotas for September.
Under the Davies plan, 100, 900
filling stations in the East viii get
daily quotas Of gasoline this week.
Each dealer has a certain number
Of gallons due him as part Of his
August allotment.
How Plan Will Work.
This amount will be divided into
five equal parts and every day trucks
will roll UP to the filling stations to
dole out the stations allotment. The
station operator can then sell the
gasoline on a first come-f1rst serve
basis or he can decide how many
gallons he will give each customer.
When his days supply is exhausted
If it is-he will have to close.
But next Saturday, instead Of
getting daily allotment, the tanks
of all filling stations will be loaded
to capacity. A record will be kept
of the amount given each station
and this amount will be deducted
from his September quota. On
Monday-which is September /
the dealers, of course, will be en-
titled to their September supply.
This announcement apparently
put an end to fears conjured up
that thousands of motorists might
be stranded on the highways next
week end, waiting for the first of
September to arrive with its fresh
supply of fuel.
Some local stations were expected
to be closed today because their
supplies were low or exhausted, but
the new Davies plan seemed to
relieve the necessity for any whole
sale Sunday closings.
Opinions on Supply Differ.
The American Petroleum Insti-
tute and the once of Petroleum
o-ordination were not seeing eye
to-eye on the prospects Of. a gaso-
line shortage, anyway, the Asso-
ciated Press reported.
The Federal officials said there
was only a Today supply left in
the East. The Petroleum Institute
said there were 0,793 900 barrels
in the East at the beginning of last
week-whicn was enough to last
for a long time in view of the fact
that only 893, 900 barrels were used
last week.
Scattered reports of contemplated
partial or complete shutdown Of
stations today came from Connec-
ticut, Maine, New York, New Jersey,
Northern Virginia, Georgia and
Florida, where pumps were run
ming dry.
Price increases of from a half to
2 cents a gallon were put in effect
in parts of Maine, Massachusetts,,
Connecticut, Rhode Island and New
Jersey.
Approximately 100 Eastern and
Central Maine operators said they
would be forced to close today be-
cause their supplies were exhausted
temporarily.
e. To keep within their allowance.
Harold A. Saunders, secretary Of
the Maine Retail Gasoline Asso-
citation, said many would have to
ration customers the remainder Of
the month.
A general increase of a cent q
gallon went into effect yesterday
in Massachusetts, as the Bay States
attorney general, Robert T. Bush
nell, assailed Mr.. Ickes for a "plan-
less muddle."
Mr. Bushnell, on request of John
P. Mcbride, director of the State
division on the necessaries of life,
said he would investigate to de-
termine whether there had been any
conspiracy to raise the price un-
roo con q I,lx,