Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-14

plenty Of con- S's' @S''**
trolls over the David Lawrence.
economic life of the citizens.
But the citizens are waking up
TO the fact that if what they are
living under today is planned
economy" then somebody has failed
to provide the plan and somebody
has failed to show the economy.
For there has been lack of
planning to provide tires, a lack OF
planning to provide sugar, a lack
Of planning to provide balanced
food supply, lack of planning to
provide gasoline and now a lack
Of planning to provide fuel oil to
keep people warm in winter.
Records Refute Alibis.
It will be asserted that many of
the circumstances were unforeseen
because the demands of a huge Army
and Navy could not be foretold.
But the records are full of warnings
concerning the expected shortages
and the records are full Of admin
istrative blunders in trying to meet
those shortages.
The real trouble today Is that
those in power in the Government
have refused to listen to the advice
Of the people Of experience and
they scorn the help Of persons
who happen to have been successful
In business management.
The reason for this stems from
the attitude of President Roosevelt
himself toward most businessmen.
His subordinates have taken their
cue from him. Because he con-
stantly carries on a class feud with
the successful management men Of
America, his lieutenants do likewise.
When Mr.. Roosevelt puts a top
ceiling on salaries, his associates
put ceiling on such things as
fuel OIL Thus the new regulations
provide that if a man happens to
have home larger than cottage,
built with the savings of a lifetime
Of toll and not necessarily from the
clipped coupons of inherited wealth,
ne and his family must suffer.
Cut Exceeds Estimates.
The public was told few months
ego that 1t might expect a cut of a
fourth or as much as third in
their fuel oil, but even the people
In smaller homes were not warned
that they might expect cut of so
per cent in some instances, making
it impossible for them to heat with
Oil and, If they had inconvertible
equipment, making it impossible for
them to have hardly any heat at all
But If it were necessary to cut that
deeply, why were quotas for the
whole winter revealed to the user
only after he had burned up his
October and November oil based or
the belief that he would get one
third cut?
BY some peculiar formula which
could only be born in the mind of a
New Deal brain truster. some people
who got 1000 gallons last year fol
Q whole season find themselves with
about half that amount, while others
ind themselves with more than
they had last year.
The formula is one that takes nc
account Of the exposure of a dwell
ing to winds and no account of the
fact that even If only three people
live In a house 1t has to be heated
evenly to avoid illness and that II
more people live in the same house
this year than last year no increase
IN fuel is required.
But even If the heat formula were
workable, the lack of planning In
handling deliveries is even more OF
blunder. Tank drivers spend from
q half to three-quarters of an hour
filling out red tape coupon forms and
certificates while other customers
wait for oil. Trucks must make more
deliveries than before and transport
less oil each time because of the
limits on each period Of consump-
ton, thus increasing the problem of
tires and gas and personnel.
Innocents Punished.
The whole thing appears to have
been based on the suspicion that
there might be some chiselers, or
that people might burn more fuel
In one period than in another. The
very f1exibility they should have
had to enable them to conform to
weather changes has been denied
them. And in order to prevent the
few who might cheat from getting
q little more oil. so per cent have
to be punished with scheme that
delays their deliveries and makes
them freeze.
The ration boards are overworked
and lack funds to get proper working
tools and personnel.
Rather than remove from Office
any of the incompetent New Dealers
when they have plainly Numbered,
the President, with perhaps more
respect for his pride than the plight
of his countrymen, sticks to the
blunderers.
Mr.. Roosevelt will be known In
history as a great leader inspira-
tionally on war aims and strategy
but his many friends will regret that
q record Of being one of the poorest
administrators who ever sat in the
White House is being imprinted on
the minds Of fellow citizens because
he allows the incompetent to re-
main In office while blacklisting the
most successful men In America for