Evening star., 1942-12-30
Fuel Oil Users
Get Little Hope
0fAdded Supply
Rails Hold Key
For improvement,
Byrnes Declares


James F. Byrnes' conference yes
terday with Government officials
and presidents of six major rail-
roads.
Mr.. Byrnes announced after the
meeting that railroads expected to
deliver more gasoline and oil to the
Atlantic seaboard during January
but added that the best consumers
can hope for is that their present
rations will be maintained.
Factors Named.
He named several factors which
might increase deliveries and then
offset these by recalling that mill
tary needs in the battle areas were
expected to increase. He reported
that every possible way of augment
Ing available fuel oil had been ex-
plored, but that his own conclusion
was that Petroleum Co-ordinator
Ickes and Price Administrator Hen
derson had not been too pessimistic
in their predictions concerning the
winter fuel supply.
Meanwhile, District fuel oil deal
ers were asked by District OPA Di-
rector Whitney Leary and his re-
Gently named consultant. Renah F..
Camalier, to submit their problems
In writing not later than tomorrow.
Mr.. Camalier said he would confer
with Mr.. Henderson probably by
Friday afternoon with a view to tax
Ing definite steps to iron out the
difficulties listed.
Rails Only Hope.
Mr.. Byrnes said railroads offer
the only hope of providing any i'm
mediate improvement in the fuel oil
situation. The greatest hope for
improvement at this time, he added,
rests, on efforts of railroad execu-
tives to facilitate the unloading of
tank cars at their destinations and
to reroute trains wherever possible.
The rerouting will go into effect
IN the next few days, he revealed
but the improvement of terminal
facilities will depend first upon ap-
proval Of the War Production Board
for necessary materials, including
those for ample unloading tracks.
Mr.. Byrnes was of the opinion
some hope exists in the use of box
cars carrying drums of oil. Both
boxcars and drums are available, he
added, but most metal drums are
controlled by the Army and Navy.
He said he would explore the pos
sibility Of the armed services using
their drums to haul their own oil
and thus release tanks for civilian
transportation.
He named another possibility in
the use of q new lining made of
canvass and synthetic rubber by
which boxcars can be converted into
tank cars. Railways have agreed, he
reported, to have 200 boxcars
equipped with these cells, probably
within the next 80 days. Only a rela-
lively small amount of the synthetic
material will be needed, it was ex-
planned.
Citing that all ocean-going tankers
are needed to deliver oil to military
and naval stations overseas, Mr..
Byrnes said that a barge line offered
no hope for immediate relief,
although a program for 500 barges
and 100 tougboats and toWboats has
been approved. He explained that
they cannot be delivered in less than
six months.
Good Job Applauded.
That means we have to look for
relief from the immediate situation
to the railroads and railroad tank
cars" he declared. THE railroads
have done magnificent job. Be-
fore Pearl Harbor there were 5000
barrels of oil delivered in Eastern
Seaboard territory week. Two
weeks ago it was 761, 900 barrels a
day"
Mr.. Byrnes described as particu-
larly encouraging a statement made
by the railroad heads that unless
unexpected and unusual cold wealth
er interfered, they expected to in
crease January deliveries over those
OF December and that they were
going to use all their ingenuity to
devise means of speeding deliveries
and urn-arounds.
MY own conclusion" he said. "is
that the statement of Secretary
Ickes and Price Administrator Hen
derson still stands true, that moth
ing that We have discussed offers
any hope for belief that we are
going to be able to increase the sup
ply OF fuel Oil and gasoline above
the figures heretofore determined
by those two gentlemen The mill
tary needs make any other predic-
ton impossible"
Present at Mr.. Byrnes' conference
were Mr.. Ickes, Mr.. Henderson,
Transportation Director Joseph e.
Eastman. John j. Pelley, president
OF the Association of American Rail-
roads; M. w. Clement, president OF
the Pennsylvania Railroad; F.. +.
Williamson, president of the New
York Central; Ernest E. Norris,
president of the Southern; j. L. Be-
ven, president of the Illinois Cen
tral: A. M. Kurn, president of the
st. Louis and San Francisco, and l..
w. Baldwin, president of the Mis-
souri, Pacific.
Car Withdrawal Banned.
In another move yesterday to i'm
prove the petroleum situation,
Transportation Director Joseph e.
Eastman prohibited the withdrawal,
except in special cases, of any rail-
road tank cars now bringing Oil or
other petroleum products to the
East. He said the regulation was
part of the recently announced
program of increasing railroad
transportation of petroleum to the
East by 20 per cent.
The request for District fuel oil
dealers to outline their problems
In writing was made by Mr.. Leary
and Mr.. Camalier at meeting Of
the dealers yesterday afternoon.
The dealers principal problem, 1t
was indicated at the meeting, is one
of delivery rather than supply.
Lester Scott, director of the oil
heating division of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association,
said that, while the supply is low,
l..