Evening star., 1941-08-10
Police Expected
To Join Drive
To Save Gas
Conservation Group
And Ickes Ask Aid
Of City Heads

vi My hCuoS
Metropolitan police are expected
to be directed this week by the
Commissioners to require inspec-
ton tests of all cars whose owners
indulge in lack rabbit" starts or
permit smoke -belching exhausts.
A vigorous move in this direction
was recommended to the CommlS-
sioners yesterday by the District
Petroleum Conservation Committee
after Oil Co-ordinator Ickes had
written a third letter TO the city
heads spurring them to greater ac-
tivity for gasoline saving.
Park police, who operate under
Mr.. Ickes, as Interior Secretary,
already had initiated a campaign
against non-co-o operating motorists
when driving through Federal park
areas here.
ID. c. Police Held Off.
Twice before, the Commissioners
| had declined to issue orders to
Metropolitan Police to follow suit,
stating they preferred to wait longer
. to see the results of the voluntary
gasoline saving program before TAX
ing more vigorous steps.
The plan recommended yesterday
is that all police be instructed to
/ issue notices to violating motorists
requiring them to have their cars
| inspected at the District insp/tion
stations within 10 days when they
are charged with permitting gas
wastage resulting in smoke-belch-
! ing eXhauStS.
| Meanwhile a reduction from the
| previous week of almost per cent
| in the sale of gasoline in 40 stations
/ in Washington and vicinity for the
six-day period ending last night was
/ reported by H. R. Wainwright,
/ director of research of the Retail
| Gasoline Dealers Corp. The period
covered the days since the pm. to
7 am. gasoline moratorium has
been in effect.
| Mr.. Wainwright also revealed that
/ during the same period lubricating
oil sales fell per cent, while ac-
cessory business was down 7.9 per
/ cent.
Could Impound Cars.
| Maj. Beverly C. Snow, Assistant
Engineer Commissioner, who heads
the local conservation group, was
| advised that police could impound
automobiles or otherwise prevent
| their operation if their owners re-
fuse to make adjustments which will
permit the cars to pass inspections.
Maj. Brown told the committee
police had been enforcing District
/ regulations and that he had not
/ ordered anything in the nature Of
drive" because he did not think
that enforcement work should be
/ tied too directly to the voluntary
savings program.
| The recommendation from the
conservation group was that the
Commissioners instruct Metropoli-
tan Police to 'redouble" their
efforts.
The letter from Secretary Ickes
read:
Our joint efforts to bring about a
voluntary reduction in the consump-
ton of petroleum products in the
East Coast States and the District
of Columbia have not met with a
ready response from the public.
Accordingly, a more drastic step
became necessary. 1t was taken in
the recommendation, a copy of
which is inclosed. for the closing of
filling stations from pm. to am.
daily.
Warns of Rationing.
I'VE hoped by this means to CALI
forcibly to the attention of thei
public the necessity for conserving
petroleum products.
Drastic. compulsory rationing of
any type is to be avoided as long as
| possible. However, its advent is
hastened by the seeming indiffer-
ence of the public to the various
| pleas for a reduction in the con-
sumption of petroleum. products.
II am now requesting that you
and the East Coast Governors in
tensify your efforts to bring the
people of the District of Columbia
to full realization of the critical
situation that impends. I still feel
| that. once the people realize the
problem, they. acting in an Amer
| ican way, will do their part. I am
reluctant to institute compulsory ra-
tioning so long as possibility ex-
lists that the same result can he
accomplished in the American spirit
of cooperation.
will you, therefore, redouble your
efforts and those of your associates,
to the end that the people of the
District become fully aware of the
impending shortage and equally cog
infant of the necessity for conserva-
tion in the use of petroleum prod
ucts. Strict enforcement of laws
and ordinances governing speed.
smoke -belching automobiles and
other wasteful practices will aid in
conserving gasoline and OIL"
Ask Approval of Stickers.
The District Conservation Com
mittee also asked the Commissioners
to confirm Verbal instructions which
had been issued to police by Maj.
Brown to accept as legal use of the
approved stickers for automobile
windshields fostering gasoline saw
ing. These are the committees
stickers bearing the slogan Make
Four Gallons Do What Five Did Be-
fore" and the Ickes-sponsored ma
tional slogan, Il Am Using One
Third Less Gas"
Maj. Snow said only one of the
larger stickers could be used on a
car. He said this should be placed
at the lower right-hand corner Of
the rear window. One of the small
stickers also may be placed IN the
lower left-hand corner of the front
windshield.
A booth is to be set up Wednes-
day on the front lawn of the Dis
trict Building. to be operated by vol
unteer workers, for the distribution
of the gas conservation stickers.