Evening star., 1942-05-29
The Hard Woy

Inc man WHO likes 10 90 CQlngS the
hard way is a familiar character. II
there is an easy approach to a prob
lem he will have none Of 1t. He
knows there is hard way to per-
form the simplest task, and he burns
up prodigious amounts OF energy in
search Of 1t. But the most needlessly
involved effort Of this hypothetical
character is as nothing when COM
pared with the manner in which the
government has handled the prob
lem OF rubber conservation.
There Is nothing complicated
about the facts OF the situation. All
OF the raw rubber that we have-and
we can get no more-will be needed
Tor war purposes. It will be at least
TWO years. and probably longer,
before there will be any synthetic
rubber available for the manufac-
ture OF tires for civilian use. The
tires now on the private automobiles
In the country. which are essential
TO our transportation system, will
not last that long at the present
rate of driving. Therefore, driving
must be curtailed to conserve tires.
That is really all there is to the
question, but the salient facts have
become so obscured and the real
issue so confused by an almost
incredible mass of conflicting state
mentS that the serious business Of
prosecuting the war is beginning to
be eclipsed in the public mind by the
artificial tempest which has been
stirred up.
Most of the experts who have
studied the problem are agreed that
the only effective way to curtail
driving is to ration gasoline. Ger
tainly it is not possible to assign a
Government agent to keep watch on
every private car. But it is equally
foolish to attempt to convince the
motorist in Oklahoma or Texas,
where ordinary gasoline has become
virtually a by-product of war in
dustry and is available In such over
abundance as to be almost a drug on
the market, that it is necessary
to save gasoline. Likewise, it is
difficult to convince motorists any,
where that they should conserve
their own tires when they see new
tires rapidly deteriorating on thou
sands of new cars parked on open
lots-cars which the dealers are for
hidden to sell by Government decree
but for which the Government
apparently has no immediate use.
What is the average motorist to
believe when responsible Govern
ment officials announce that the
rubber shortage is so critical that it
may become necessary to COM
mandeer privately owned tires at
almost the same time that the Presi-
dent is expressing the casual thought
that everything may work out all
right because he hopes that a non
rubber tire will be developed before
the present tires wear out?
All of the facts of the rubber Situ-
alton surely must be in the possess
sion of the Government by this time.
If the shortage Is as critical as it
has been represented to be, and If
the hope of relief Is so remote. why
not tell the people so in a clear-cut
and authoritative statement? Then,
if gasoline rationing is the only
feasible approach to rubber conser-
vation, why not submit a national
gasoline rationing program to the
public for the sole purpose of saving
rubber? The people will accept such
a program if they are convinced that
it is necessary, but they will be skep-
tical of it as long as the need
remains in doubt. So why not put
an end to the preposterous confu-
sion which has grown out Of this
business of saying one thing in one
quarter today and something differ
ent in another quarter tomorrow?
The real problem of saving rubber
is simple matter of good faith and
direct dealing. Why not stop going
about it the hard way?