Evening star., 1942-07-04
Organized Searches
For Scrap Rubber
Urged in District
Civic, Youth Units Asked
To Make House-to-House
Coils if Necessary

The District Salvage Committee
today urged civic, patriotic and
youth organizations to conduct Or
ganized drives for scrap rubber,
going from house to house if neces-
sary, to boost Washington's total
contribution to the Nationwide
campaign to 100000 pounds.
In addition, the committee asked
individuals to research their homes,
yards and garages for that extra
pound of scrap which may have
been overlooked.
The committees executive Sec
retary, Horace Walker, said 1,275 900
pounds had been collected from fill
ing stations up to July 3, and charity
organizations had gathered 86,443
from other collection depots for a
total OF, 1861 ,443. In addition, COM
mercial rubber dealers have 311,450
pounds on hand, Mr.. Walker said.
He estimated that a daily contri-
button of $4,000 pounds would swell
the Districts total to more than L.
100000 pounds which, with the deal
ers' supplies, would put the overall
collection above 100000 pounds.
Donations so far have averaged
around $4,000 pounds daily.
Rubber or Rationing.
The appeal followed a broad hint
by Secretary of the Interior Ickes
that Nationwide gasoline rationing
to conserve tires might be necessary
unless more rubber is contributed to
the existing scrap pile.
collections so far have not been
sufficient to eliminate the necessity
for rubber conservation measures
which we would like to avoid" Mr.
Ickes said in kilograms to the
Mayors of principal cities.
Results of reclaimable rubber
collections to date indicate the pub
lie generally does not appreciate the
urgency of the campaign.
II earnestly request that you re-
emphasize to all in your community
that the rubber which we fail to col
lect in this campaign might be the
rubber that would have made a raft
to save the life of some American
flyer in the Pacific, or which might
have gone into the tires of a plane
to bomb the enemy"
Organized Searches Successful.
The appeal for organized COM
muity searches was made after dis
closure that two small-scale efforts
! produced surprising amountes Of
scrap.
George B. Markham of 1886 Thir.
tieth street NV, sector warden lr
| Zone 3, Sector s, in the Georgetown
area. reported that the civilian de-
fense group in that area brought II
from 500 to 900 pounds of rubber lr
whirlWind, Commute campaign
/ last night that took some q partlc1-
pants to nearly every house ane
apartment in the area.
I'VE figured that there would be
a lot of rubber lying around II
amounts people thought were too
small to be worth bothering to TAKE
to a filling station" Mr.. Markham
said.
The other instance was a cam.
paign by between Is and 80 young.
sters ranging from to 13 years o.
age. At the urging of Don Mac.
Donald, 4527 Georgia avenue NV.
who offered prizes for the larges'
individual collection, the groul
brought in between 300 and 40t
pounds from a four block area yes.
terday and today and more was ye
to come. Mr.. Macdonald viii
award prizes at l pm. today ant
take the youths to show.
"It is these little sources-the odd
and ends-that boost the total" sait
Mr.. Walker. Except for tires, tube
and rubber hose, these items ar
our largest source. That's the stuf
we've got to get"
Ickes Calls for Mats.
He suggested that persons who ar
held at home over the holiday wee
end-the last during the campaign
which closes July 10-make renewe,
efforts to locate more rubber.
Meanwhile, Secretary Ickes Gale
for the donation of more rubbe
mats, discounting published asser
tions that mats usually are made {
poor grade of rubber which cannc
be converted into tires or retreads
whether mats will make retread