Evening star., 1942-09-11
The Buruch Report

'~ SAt a&h b\SpSit
The report of the Presidents special
committee adds little that is new to
the sum of our information on the
rubber situation. Its great value lies
IN what it rejects, in the vigorous and
convincing manner in which it
sweeps aside the misstatements and
the half truths which have confused
public thinking on this question and
seriously hampered those Govern
ment officials who had attempted to
secure corrective action commensu-
rate with the gravity of the rubber
outlook
Armed with this excellent" report,
the President has announced that the
recommendations made by the COM
mittee will be put into effect as rap
idly as arrangements can be made.
This is gratifying attitude on the
Presidents part, and, allowing for
certain amount of short-sighted op-
position which seems inevitable,
there Is every reason to suppose that
the people on the whole, having been
SHOWN the vital need for conserving
rubber, will cheerfully accept the rec
concentrations made by the commit
tee Certainly, considering the caliber
of It's personnel-Bernard M. Baruch.
who headed the Nations war indus
tries IN the First World War; James
b. Conant, president of Harvard Uni
Versity, and Karl T. Compton. presi-
dent of the Massachusetts, Institute
OF Technology-both the committee
and its report merit the fullest public
confidence.
The essential recommendations. 50
lar as the civilian motorists are con-
cerned, call for national gasoline ra-
tloning to limit maximum "neces-
sary" driving to 5000 miles a year. a
compulsory speed limit of thirty-five
miles per hour, compulsory tire in
spectlon at regular intervals and the
provision of more rubber than is now
available for recapping or retreading
tires already in service.
These are proposals which have
long been advocated by The Star and
other proponents of national gaso-
line rationing as rubber conserva-
ton measure. They have been op-
posed on the rather curious ground
that people living in areas where
there is plenty of gasoline could not
be induced to accept gasoline ration
Ing, even as ire-conservation meas
ure, 1t may be doubted whether this
objection ever had much basis in
fact, but, even if the contrary was
the case, the committee makes two
principal points which should bring
most OF the dissenters into line.
The first OF these is that tires on
civilian cars are wearing down at a
rate eight times greater than they
are being replaced, and that at this
rate most of the private cars will be
forced off the roads next year, leav-
Ing the Nation in 1914 with a trans
portation system in all but complete
collapse" Thus, for selfish reasons
If for no other, the people should well
come the committees plan for pro-
longing the useful life of their cars.
But there is still another and
much more important-reason. Un-
less our production of synthetic rub
Der is increased, the committee says.
and unless the necessary diversion of
rubber to civilian uses is held to the
absolute minimum, there will be no
rubber in the fourth quarter of 1943
with which to equip modern mech
anized army"
There is no need to dwell upon the
implications of that comment. To
the extent that the choice lies be-
tween giving up pleasure driving and
rlsklng loss of the war, the people,
with the real facts before them, will
accept the former without hesitat ton,