Evening star., 1942-10-31
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

It's not necessary to have special
equipment to inspect tires, said
Charles F. Phillips, director of auto
motive supply rationing for the
Office Of Price Administration, in
reply to the assertion of the District
Commissioners Traffic Advisory
Council that the new regulations
were unavoidable, here and else
where, because there were not
enough of the machines that dag
nose tire troubles.
Mr.. Phillips explained to The
Star today, in response to questions,
that skilled inspectors-and none
others would be acceptable to OPA-
would be able to detect, usually, by
looking over the tires, whether they
had glaring defects.
Such inspections, he added, could
be carried out anywhere-at a filling
station, in parking lot, even on
the street if necessary. This, Mr..
Phillips admitted, is not an ideal
arrangement. It would be better, he
conceded, to have ramp or portable
machines for all the inspections,
but this is not practicable.
Sees Plenty of Inspectors.
And Mr.. Phillips, taking issue
with local traffic officials, contended
there would be plenty of inspectors
available who knew automobiles and
tires thoroughly.
Mr.. Phillips, youthful and ener-
getic, was professor of economics
at Colgate University until he came
to the rationing division of OPA in
December, 1941. He was graduated
from Colgate in 1881 and took a
Phi. D. at Harvard in 1888. He has
260 men in his division, many of
them technical experts from the tire
gasoline or automotive industry.
The tire inspection regulations, he
explained, represented a collabora-
ton of technical men, and he ap-
proved them and feels that they are
entirely workable.
District officials and local automo-
bile men disagreed. They contended
that the original plan of OPA, as set
forth clearly in the regulations, pro-
vided for inspection equipment, such
as ramps. They also maintained
that, at least in Washington, and
they had no doubt it was true in
other cities, mechanics skilled
enough to inspect tires were ex-
tremely scarce.
Most Go Into Armed Services.
One automobile dealer was report
ed not to have single such man in
his employ. A proprietor Of large
filling station said he did not have 9
mechanic left experienced enough tt
tell whether tire was in alignment
Most of the mechanics, it was ex.
planned, had gone into the armed
forces or into war industries.
Edmund O. Carl, vice president
and general manager of Call Carl
Inc, which operates chain of auto
repair shops, pronounced the OPA
regulations utterly impossible tt
carry out in Washington and prob.
ably anywhere else"
MIR. Carl said he had one man out
Of 19l employees skilled enough to tel
at a glance whether a tire had any.
thing wrong with it, and even thi.
man could not discern the trouble Il
the tires had been shifted to another
wheel, as motorists frequently. do.
We're taking one out Of thret
jobs we could handle" he added
because we haven't enough skillee
mechanics to do the work. Skilled
men are increasingly scarce. don1
see how OPA possibly can enforce
such provision. Looking at tires !,
not enough. You need precision In
struments really to tell what,
wrong"
Inspections Begin December l..
OPA recently ordered. beginning
December l, tire inspection fol-
holders OF A gas ration cards every
four months. for motorists entitled
| to supplementary rationS every ar