The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-26
MAY AID EASTERN
 SHORTAGE OF OIL
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CContinued from Page l) amount of oil that can be brought from Texas to the east Florida coast.
 Solves Tug Shortage
 The President solved the tug shortage by asking Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardio if the port Of New York could spare harbor tugs, La Guardia replied, it was learned, that the Federal Government could have 50.
 The open water route around Florida would be eliminated by g. pipe line across northern Florida. Ickes announced last week that Ul1- used pipe lines in Texas were be- ing dug up for re-laying elsewhere.
 Meantime, the President ordered a survey, legislative sources said, of available faciliteis for the construc- ton of wooden barges to be used to haul crude oil to eastern refin- cries.
 He told a press conference that even though wooden barges could not haul gasoline and other petro- leum products which might leak and create serious fire hazard, they were suitable for hauling crude oil.
 The gulf inland waterway terI1lin- ateS at Carrabelle, Fla. The pipe lines would be relocated to cross Florida, from this terminus to the Atlantic waterway, an inland water route which runs from the east coast of Florida to the Chesapeake Bay.
 What Ickes Says
 Boston, May 26.-(UP)-Petro. leum Coordinator Harold L. Ickes warned today that the fuel oil and gasolin picture lis going to be worse before it's better"
 The only way to alleviate the situ- ation in New England, Ickes said in an interview, would be by the construction of a pipeline from Texas to the New York-P Philadelphia area. And he added that he was mot at all optimistic about that pipeline going through"
 We could have completed the pipeline in 10 months If we could have started 1t when we wanted to last year." he said, adding thanks to the enthusiastic help of the news papers, the pipeline was defated last year."
 Ickes also declared that the rall- roads "did a poor pob in bringing influence to block the pipelines" Ickes came here to address the an- nual convention of the New Eng land Oil Mems association tonight.
 Wherever possible, he said, a shift should be made from fuel oil to coal, both in production and in private use.
 "It's possible" he said, ."that we may go into next winter without a prop CT storage of fuel oil. When there is 8 question of fuel oil or gasoline, fuel oil will have preference, and as 8 result there may be further cuts in gasoline"
 Next winter, he said. 1t may get to point where gasoline will be restricted to necessary use." He said Price Administrator Leon Hem derson was working on a better sys- ter of gasoline rationing to take effect July 1.
 Not His Trouble
 Advised of reports that certain New England filling station attend- ants had failed to punch rationing cards, Ickes said:
 That is not my trouble, thank the Lord. That Is Mir. Hendersons child" He added, however, that he would call the reports to Tender sons attention upon his return to Washington.
 Ickes also parried questions as to the likelihood of nationwide gaso- line rationing.
 A pipeline from the Texas oil fields would provide sufficient gaso- line, he said, to take care of the deficit in the east, which is receiv- ing about 100000 gallons daily by railroad to meet a requirement. of about 1,250,000 gallons.
 "We're not counting on oil tank ers," he said, "they are needed else- where"
 Ickes said, i've cannot allow the fl,l oil shortage to interfere with WIT production"
 Iskes said he had made two ap- lications for steel priorities for the required 350,000 tons of steel to build the pipeline to the east but that both requests had been rejected.
 I'm about to make the third ape plication." he said, ''but do not ex- pect to get it."