Evening star., 1942-11-07
Criticiizes
Registration
Of Motorists
Officials Get Offers
To EstubIish Tire
Inspection Stations

While applications started to come
into the District Office of Price
Administration today from automo-
bile dealers and garagemen willing
to set up tire inspection stations in
their establishments, the plans for
all District motorists to register for
national gasoline rationing, at
schools next week was criticized by
the American Automobile Associa-
ton as a needless imposition on
car owners"
The AAA contended that under
the OPA program motorists were to
get tire registration forms from
garages, tire inspection stations,
motor clubs and other distributing
centers and mail them to ration
boards, as will be done in nearby
Montgomery County, Md, for ex-
ample.
This system was perfectly simple
and involved a minimum of red tape
and annoyance to the motorist," the
AAA asserted. "A telegraphic sur
vey by AAA national headquarters
of affiliated clubs in the Eastern
area this morning revealed that with
one or two exceptions all ration
boards will follow the OPA instruc-
tions and are permitting applica-
tions to be sent in by mail.
Trouble Called Unwarranted.
"Only in the District of Columbia
and three or four States are East
ern motorists to be put to the un-
necessary inconvenience Of taking
the better part of day off from
work and registering at school,
houses. Such mass registrations
may be somewhat easier for the
local rationing board, but, to save
itself little effort, the board is
putting 10000 motorists to unwar-
ranted and inexcusable trouble and
difficulty in direct contravention of
the instructions issued by OPA."
Informed of the AAA charge,
Whitney Leary, District OPA ad-
ministrator, said that not only had
the plan for school registration been
authorized by the New York re-
gional office of the OPA, but also
that it had distinct advantages for
the public.
In other places, as pointed out
by the AAA, motorists pick up the
gas rationing blanks at distribution
centers, fill them out at home and
mail them to their ration board and
ere mailed back the tire inspection
slip. In the District, the registrar
Mt the school will forward the gas
rationing form to the motorists
ration board and will give the tire
inspection form to the automobile
owner at the time of the registra-
ton.
Mr. Leary declared that since all
passenger cars must have tire in
epections between December l and
January 81, the motorists have to
be given an opportunity to get the
tire inspection form in time for the
inspection. If the District had fol-
lowed the method advocated by the
AAA, he declared, it was doubtful
If the boards could get the forms
back to the motorists in time, be-
cause of shortage of help at the
boards.
In addition, he said, the assist
ance of school registrars will guar
entee the forms being filled out
legibly and adequately. On the
question of inconvenience, he point
ed out that the wide spread of hours
and the spacing of the school regi-
stration sites should make 1t easy
for every one to register.
Registration Next Week.
Registration of District motorists
to place them on the same basis
as the rest of the country when
Nation wide gasoline rationing be-
gins is to be held in District schools
next Thursday and Friday. Auto
mobile owners will be asked to bring
with them all the gasoline ration
ing books issued to them and the
serial numbers of all the tires owned
by them.
Other information concerning es-
sential mileage will also be asked
Of registrants to bring them under
the same system being instituted in
States where gasoline has not pre-
yiously been rationed.
1t has been pointed out that mo-
torists must know accurately the
serial numbers of their tires or they
may jeopardize future gasoline al
!otments. They will also be required
10 know the number of their local
rationing board
Meanwhile, Mr.. Leary announced
late yesterday that dealers, service
stations and garage men willing
to establish tire inspection stations
for the period inspections should
apply Immediately At the same
time, he named four-man board
to handle the applications.
Charge of 25 Cents.
Garage owners and auto dealers
willing to operate as inspection sta
tions are asked to apply to the
local OPA Offices at 560l Connect.
cut avenue NV. Mr.. Leary sale
no application form need be sub.
nitted, but that a simple letter
volunteering to set up a station wi,
be sufficient.
A charge of Is cents per passengei
vehicle has been set, and the in
spection of each car will take from
IL to Is minutes. Under OPA plan
announced yesterday, only visual in
spection of tires will be necessary
Members of the committee Sc
UP by Mr.. Leary to study appllca
tions of garagemen and auto dealer
include Arthur j. Sundlun, presl
dent of the Merchants and Manu-
facturers' Association, chairman
Martin F. Mccarthy, president o
the Gasoline Retailers Association
Ashby Leither, treasurer OF the Ma
tional Association of Independent
Tire Dealers, and Robert Lewis, act
ing president Of the Washington
Automotive Association.