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

VI lily HeQ0S
Metropolitan police are expected
to be directed this week by thei
Commissioners to require inspec-S
ton tests of all cars whose owners
indulge in lack rabbit" starts or
permit smoke -belching exhausts.
A vigorous move in this directions
was recommended TO the Commis-S
sioners yesterday by the Districts
Petroleum Conservation Committee
after Oil Co-ordinator Ickes had;
written third letter to the city
heads squirting 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.
d. 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 motorist,
requiring them to have their cars
inspected at the District inspection
a v1yit L,fy
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
Z am. gasoline moratorium" has
been in effect.
Mr.. Wainwright also revealed that
during the same period lubricating
oil sales fell 6 per cent, while sc-
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
a 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 Icke5
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, more drastic step
became necessary. 1t was taken in
the recommendation, a copy of
which is incloSed, for the closing of
flllng stations from pm to 7 am.
daily.
Warns of Rationinx.
We hoped by this means to call
forcibly to the attention of the
public the necessity for conserving
petroleum products.
Drastic, compulsory rationine 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 reduction in the con-
sumption of petroleum products.
Il 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. l 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 a possibility ex-
lists that the same result can be
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 wastefal practices will aid in
conserving gasoline and oil"
Ask Approval of Stickers.
The District Conservation Com +
mittee also asked the Commissioners
had been issued to police by Mai. |
Brown to accept as legal use of the
approved stickers for automobiles |
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 na-9
tional slogan, 81 Am Using One
Third Less Cas-" ri
Maj. Snow said only one of the
larger stickers could be used on a.,
car. He said this should be placed 4
at the lower right-hand corner Of
the rear window. One Of the small
stickers also may be placed in thea
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.