Evening star., 1942-12-24
Fuel Oil
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OF oil YOU have been allowed for TIE
winter so he will be able to schedule
deliveries to you.
&, Don't delay the oil truck driver
by asking questions regarding oil
( rationing.
The OPA said oil dealers ARE
doing a splendid job in getting fuel
! oil to consumers.
7 Their work has been compli-
Gated by the withdrawal of tank
trucks from retail distribution for
| the transferring of oil between bulk
/ stations" an OPA statement said
IN addition, rationing has probably
/ tended to reduce somewhat the size
/ OF consumer deliveries by curtailing
/ consumption and channeling use
between particular periods of time"
A survey Of District fuel oil deal
ers meanwhile revealed that while
warmer temperatures in the last few
Gays have improved the situation
| dealers still are unable to meet all
requests for deliveries and are being
harasSed 'by customers who are not
out of fuel, but who are attempting
to cash in period l ration coupons
before they become invalid tonight.
Calls Swamp Dealers.
Despite appeals that householders
still oil
OF the emergency" created by the
recent cold spell before asking deliv-
cry of additional fuel supplies, deal
ers reported they are continuing to
be sWamped with calls.
HouSeholders are restoring to mis-
representations and tricks in an ef-
fort to obtain oil deliveries before
their Period coupons become in
valid, several dealers said. One op-
orator estimated that 40 per cent of
his customers, who reported they
were out Of oil, have been found to
have adequate oil supplies. In one
case, he said, the tank was three
quarters full.
All dealers questioned in the sur
Vey indicated they were giving first
priority to persons who had no oil
ana were not making deliveries
merely to enable customers to cash
IN their remaining Period ! cou-
ponS.
100 Phones Kept Busy.
At Griffith Consumers Co. where
there are about 100 telephones an
official said that all phones continu-
ally were busy and asked that per-
sons be notified through the news
papers that dealers were not keep
ing receivers off the hook to avoid
receiving telephone calls. Yester-
day, he said, the company received
about Is kilograms ordering oil. sent
by persons unable to reach the firm
by telephone
The Griffith Co. official also asked
customers not to call to ask oues-
tlons about coupons and to make
all phone conversations as brief as
possible
Most favorable reports on the de-
livery sltua ion came from an official
OF the Dome Oil Co., who said that
by working drivers an hour or two
overtime tonight the company could
Keep pace with orders. He said,
however, that he had his fingers
crossed" Two dealers estimated 100
OF their customers were out of oil
entirely, while another placed the
number at $50.
All agreed that warmer tempera-
lures during the pas. few DAYS had
renewed to some extent the delivery
bottleneck that developed when the
thermometer dipped to near zero
early this week. But it was indicated
the relief was not sufficient.
One dealer said he hoped to sup
ply all his customers for Christmas
Day by working drivers tomorrow
and refusing to accept any new or
ders until Saturday.
The Griffith Co. appealed to GUS
toners not entirely out of oil to wait
until next week before ordering.
In one case it was reported the
/ backlog of orders was steadily in
! creasing and that the company AL
ready was -four or five DAYS" be-
/ hind. The Standard Oil Co. esti-
mated its backlog at about 400
orders"