Evening star., 1942-07-18
Gas Available
.At0n|y 15% Of
Stations Here
City's Worst Fomine
Feared Pending New
Rotioning System

A gasoline famine-with only
Is per cent OF District area ALL
ing stations having any to sell
was in full swing today. A
spokesman for the retailers pre-
dicted Washington motorists will
experience 1.-The tightest situa-
ton ever" until the new ration
ing system goes into effect We'd
nesday.
Even then, said a spokesman for
the Once of Price Administration,
some retailers may be several days
or week in getting their first sup
plies Of gasoline under the new
coupon-book system.
Trucks are scheduled to haul new
quotas to the stations Monday and
Tuesday. but one wholesaler said IL
appeared that some of the quota
can never be delivered.
Trucks Behind Schedule.
Trucks consistently run behind
schedule This would push many
quota deliveries over to Wednesday
but under OPA rules they ap-
parently cannot be made then.
Beginning Wednesday, no filling
station operator may obtain gas
unless he has coupons to turn in for
the supply. He won't get the cou-
pons until he has gone through q
registration procedure.
The extent of low supplies was
indicated by a survey made today
by the American Automobile Asso-
citation. OF 100 stations in the Dis
trict area surveyed, only Is said
they were making sales. Most said
they would be through by II a. m.
Some said they would hold OF for
night sales.
Those making sales were rushed
to DEATH" retailers spokesman
declared. He declared the situation
will probably be worse Monday and
Tuesday.
Deliveries in DribIets. :,
Since the permanent" gas ration
ing scheme will have no quota pro-
| vision, all wholesalers deliveries to
stations before Wednesday will be
for only the unexpired period Of the
old system, it was said. Thus q sta !
tlon whose quota is due Monday
would get only one fifth of q Today
quota. Tuesday deliveries would be
for only one tenth of a quota.
1t is not much quicker to deliver
these driblets than a full supply,
one wholesaler declared. He reported
about IS per cent of his stations
could get their deliveries Tuesday
as scheduled. The rest would ordi-
narily go over to Wednesday, but
apparently they will, under regula-
tions, never get that delivery.
To get new supplies, retailers must
take inventory of their stock Tues
day night. At am. Wednesday
they may 60 to their local ration
boards.
The retailer will fill out. in dupli-
cate, the registration form, and will
then be given inventory coupons"
for the empty space In his tanks.
He may turn these over to his sup
pher in exchange for gas.
Idea Explained.
The idea in issuing inventory
coupons is to give the retailer a
full tank OF gas. After that, he
will get new supplies in exchange
for coupons given him by motor
lists when they make their purchases.
just how soon the hundreds Of
retailers can be served by IS ration
boards is question that oficials
were uncertain about today. They
have planned 1t as a two-day Job,
working from 9 am. to S pm.
After coupons are issued, the sta
ton operators may have to wait
several Lays or a week for deliv-
cries from rushed suppliers. an OPA
spokesman estimated.
To make the final days OF the
temporary gasoline ration system
more hectic, motorists who have
saved parts of their old ration cards
with the idea of getting a final full
tank to carry them over into the
new period-are now descending on
the stations.
At OPA headquarters it was said
that this was a factor which would
make the beginning of next week
"diff1cult."