Evening star., 1942-08-02
East 5 Minimum Need
In Oil May Not Be Met;
President Warns
Jones Promises Help by
Converting. Borees Into
Tunkers Before Winter
Continued From First Page

throughout the East OF IL per cent
announced by Price Administrator
Leon Henderson. This drops tn.
price Of oil here from 1O2 to 81
cents gallon.
2. Recommendation that minimum
prices of bituminous coal be in.
creased on countrywide average
OF IS cents ton, filed with the
Bituminous Coal Division and an
nounced by Mr.. IckeS as Secretary
OF Interior.
Presidents Statement.
President Roosevelt's statement on
the Eastern heating oil situation
follows:
Il earnestly hope that every cit
izen will realize the serious un-
certainties which cloud our prospect
for petroleum supplies on the East
ern Seaboard next winter. What
ever action he may decide to take,
every user of fuel and heating oil
should face realistically the fact
that there can be no guarantee that
he will get enough oil to meet even
his minimum needs"
Mr.. 1ckes pointing out that fuel
and heating oils in storage are only
about half of what they were a
year ago, although this is the time
when inventories normally are built
up for winter, declared I'VE do not
face a shortage, the shortage is
here"
He stated that it has been impos-
sible to replace the tanker fleet, re-
duced by sinkings and diversion to
military needs, despite all the
Government, the oil industry and
transportation companies have done
to substitute tank cars, pipelines,
barges, lake tankers and trucks. He
said everything which can be done
would continue to be done toward
moving more oil eastward.
Size Of Deficit Emphasized.
The size of the deficit created by
tanker loss was emphasized when
Mr.. Ickes said that If, during Janu-
ary and February 1943, every truck,
bus, taxicab and passenger car in
the Atlantic States were taken off
the highways, our pipeline. tank
car and barge facilities still could not
meet the normal fuel and heating
oil requirements"
Mr.. Ickes stated to the dealers
there was real danger of cold next
winter" and urged them to protect
customers against it by driving home
the urgency of conversion and con-
servations measures. He said that
even with a reduction of Is per cent
In consumption of fuel and heating
oil, many homes can be kept COM
Portable by keeping the furnace in
top condition and installing such i'm
provements as insulation, weather.
stripping and storm windows. Win
dows should be kept closed and un-
used rooms blocked OIL.
The petroleum co = ordinator'S
statement to dealers said:
Upon you, therefore, rests the
unpleasant duty of warning your
customers that, if they want to be
assured of warm homes next winter,
they will convert their oil burners
to the use of coal or whatever other
fuel is available, after first ascer-
tanning that the substitute fuel can
be delivered and that CRATES and
other necessary equipment can be
obtained. To be certain of an ade-
quate coal supply, they must fill
their bins now"
Will Have Cooperation.
Defense Plants Corp. the RFC
subsidiary which Mr.. Jones said
would finance the barge conversion
program, will have the cooperation
of the Army Engineers Corps, Office
Of Defense Transportation, Smaller
War Plants Corp, in addition to
Inland Waterways Corp, in working
out the plan.
The program calls for main
tenance and improvement OF exist
ing inland waterways transporta-
ton. as we'll as converting and build
ing new units.
Inland Waterways Corp. as agent
for RFC, will carry out the work
of converting steel dry-cargo to
tankers and constructing the re-
placement wooden barges and river
towboats. The chief of Army Ergi-
neers will supervise building the
tucboats and wooden tanker barges.
Mr.. Jones said it is planned to
use all available facilities. including
those of the Army engineers, in the
program. Shipyards equipped to dc
the work will be asked to submit
proposals.
Smaller War Plants Corp. has
agreed, he said. to bring into the
program shipyards and manufactur-
ing plants on the Gulf Coast, Mis-
sissippi and Great Lakes regions.
Mr.. Jones said the conversion pro-
Rram will be started Immediately
1t will require, he added, a minimum
of critical materials.
When the conversion and new
construction is completed, Defense
Plant Corp. will charter the equip
ment to water carriers designated by
the Office of Defense Transporta-
ton.
The Ofice of Petroleum Co-ordi-
nator estimated that conversion OF
all existing dry-car or barges in the
country would make available facili-
ties for transportation OF 170,O0t
barrels of oil daily to the East.
l.IlelHe Rakhaedn Shnn