Evening star., 1942-03-15
Nelson Orders
Gas Deliveries
Reduced 20 PEI.
Filling Stations Put
On 6-Doy, 72-Hour
Week on Both Coasts

In an order effective Thurs
day, filling stations in the Dis
trict of Columbia and 20 States
on the Atlantic Seaboard and in
the Pacific Northwest last night
we're put on a siX-day, 72-hour-
week operating basis as the War
Production Board cut gasoline
deliveries 20 per cent.
Informed quarters said the step
was preliminary to rationing, II
means that the average motorist
among the 100000 in the affected
areas will have to curtail his use of
motor fuel by even more than the
20 per cent since the filling stations
were directed to meet first of all the
minimum, necessary requirements"
of essential users.
Among those claSSed as essential
users were physicians and nurses,
Government vehicles. school buses,
taxicabs and agricultural vehicles.
The order was the outgrowth OF
the lack of transportation facilities,
and will apply to approximately
100000 filling stations. The choice
as to hours and days of operation
was left to the individual retailers.
President Asks Speed Cut.
The order was the second
Government action of the day
affecting automobile owners. Earlier.
the White House disclosed that
President Roosevelt had written the
Governors of the 48 States pro-
posing a maximum motor vehicle
speed limit of 40 miles an hour.
The Chief Executives request was
based on the necessity Of conserving
tires which wear much faster at
high speeds than at low. Automo-
bile mileage per gallon of gasoline
consumed also is greater at low
speeds.
The Gasoline order was issued
by w. P. B. Chairman Donald M.
Nelson on recommendation Of Pc
troleum Co-ordinator Ickes. 1t was
described in oil circles as an inter-
mediate action to hold down gaso-
line consumption. until cards could
be printed and issued for a rigid
/ gasoline rationing program. This.
/ it was explained, might require
several weeks.
Eastern States Affected.
The Eastern area affected en-
braces Maine, Vermont, New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts,, Rhode Island,
Connecticut. New York, New Jersey,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Virginia, the District of Columbia,
West Virginia. North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida east
of the Apalachicola River.
Pacific areas affected are WASH
ington and Oregon.
| Mr.. Ickes, in a statement accom-
panying the announcement, said the
oil industry agreed with him that 1T
is clear beyond all argument that
/ some curtallment in the use of
gasoline for ordinary civilian pur-
poses is now necessary"
1T is necessary, not because Of
any lack of oil" he continued, but
because of the lack of transporta-
| ton to move it here from the pro-
ducing fields.
Tankers Brought 95 Per Cent.
Normally, 95 per cent of the ap-
proximateiy 100000 barrels of Oil
used daily in the East is brought
here by tanker. Many of those
tankers have either been sunk or
diverted for military service, or
service in other areas. Any one,
am sure, can see that this has dis
located our transportation opera
| tionS.
The limitation which is being
| imposed is a reasonable one 1t
should cause no one any hardship
or even serious inconvenience. Al
though there is no way that I
know of to limit the use of COM
modify in way that will be COM
pletely equitable to everybody, this
order has been prepared with the
! aim of providing minimum of diff
Guilty and. at the same time, fur
nishing the means of dealing with
! a serious situation.
In an effort to reduce consump-
| ton by a third last summer re-
(See GASOLINE, Page Aid