The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-07

| OLl6 III C1SHT, uu-
 Edscm disputed control
 of this fuel oil problem, so the prospects are excel lent that this, like every other ad- ministrative conflict, will eventually have to be rolled back to the Pres ident for solution.
 Currently, five government agen- cies have their fingers in the fuel oil barrel, not counting the Army, the Navy and the lend-lease admin istration who have first call on all petroleum products.
 First is the War Production Board Donald Nelson and Company - which is supposed to issue directives to other agencies, telling them what to do about any given shortage or critical material.
 Second is the Office of Price Ad- ministration-Leon Henderson and Company-which has the power not only to set the price on fuel oil, but also to ration it.
 Third is the Office of Defense Transportation - Joseph B. East man and Company-charged with moving fuel oil as well as everything else when and where it is needed, to the best of its ability.
 UNCLE JESSE,
 TOO
 Fourth is the Defense Supplies Corporation in the Reconstruction Finance setup - Uncle Jesse Jones and Company. This is the only out fit with any money and therefore the only one that can consider pay ing subsidies to oil dealers to reim- purse them for losses incurred when they have to pay higher transporta- tion costs to get oil by rail into the eastern seaboard area so as to sell it below maximum prices set by the Office of Price Administration.
 Fifth and finally there is the Office of the Petroleum Co., ordi- nator for War-Harold L. Ickes and Company-which controls produc- tion of all petroleum products. Through its decree that no fuel oil can be sold to consumers in the eastern seaboard area between Aug ust and September IS, OPC has actually taken over control of distri- button, though that would seem to be the function of OPA.
 Actually, the conflict between these agencies runs much deeper than that.
 OPC wants to build a pipeline from the mid-continent fields to the eastern seaboard, instead of just as far as Salem, Ill. WIPE says the steel can't be spared and won't allocate it.
 OPA is ready and willing to ra- tion fuel oil any time WIPE tells it to, but OPC is against rationing, although Co-ordinator Ickes de- clares that even If every bus, truck taxicab and passenger car in the eastern seaboard were taken off the highways for the entire months of January and February, existing fuel oil transportation facilities still could not meet the normal requirements of the 1,500,- 900 dwellings in this area, heated by fuel oils. MORE
 RATIONING
 OPA leans to the idea that the middle west, east of the Mississippi river at least, should be rationed on gasoline and fuel oil so as to share their supply with the stricken sea- board states, but OPC is against this.
 OPA wanted to permit the east ern states oil dealers to raise their prices on petroleum products 8 couple of cents gallon to make up for the higher transportation costs, but the southeastern states congressman made loud noises of objection.
 The next step therefore had to be to ask REC to pay 8 subsidy to the dealers in the east, to compen- sate for this freight differential.
 Tn the midst of all this confu- sion, pulling and hauling, your old friend Joe Public of down east is left shivering. A congressional subcommittee under Representative William J. Fitzgerald of Norwich, Conn, is Investigating this fuel oil mess, but so far it hasn't even got its hands dirty, and it is doubtful if the committee is able or strong enough to get the furnaces con. verted to coal and the fuel tanks filled for the million dwellings that can't convert to coal. This is an administrative mess that calls for an expert plumber.