Evening star., 1942-06-12
Drive 10 Collect
Scrap Rubber
Starts Monday
President Will Speak
Tonight; Points Out
Military Shortage


that the tWo-week scrap rubber
collection drive will begin Mon,
day, and at the same time he
made suggestion to newpaper-
men-that in their leads on the
scrap collection story they point
out that rubber is so scarce the
Army and Navy have been forced
to cut their use of it by Is per
cent. e..
AS a result of the enforced re-
duction, he said. they are being
forced to use solid-iron tires on
many vehicles which should have
rubber tires The solid tires. he
added, slow down the vehicles. E.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he would make
fve-minute radio speech to the
Nation at 6:45 o'clock this evening,
explaining the details of the cam
palgn and calling on all citizens to
turn in every bit of discarded rub
Der they can find.
Individuals were urged bv the
Chief Executive to search their base
ments, attlcs and back yards for all
items OF rubber that have been dis
carded or can be discarded.
Offlces. factories and farms also
are being asked to cooperate.
Will Pay Cent a Pound.
This new move to conserve rubber
followed an announcement last
night by the Office of Price Ad-
mnlstratlon that the temporary
gasoline ration plan, originally in
tended to end July /, will be eX.
tended to July IS. To provide easo-
line for holders of "A" and "B"
cards IN the additional two weeks.
the OPA decreed that beginning
Monday they may buy six gallons
instead of three on the remaining
units of their ration cars. "Details
on rationing plan in story on Page
Az.
The 100000 filling stations
throughout the country will serve
as collection depots, paving l cent
pound for all the scrap rubber
taken to them, Mr.. Roosevelt said
Oil company trucks will collect the
scrap from the filling station depots
ana sell 1t at the same price to the
Ruoper Recovery Corp, new
agency being set up under Secretary
OF commerce Jones, Mr.. Roosevelt
said.
NOBODY will make any money out
OF the campaign, he emphasized
IN TINS connection, a statement
from the Petroleum Industry War
Council said that ANY or all prof1t,
"hlch might accrue to the oil COM
panles IN the transaction would 90
70 the United Service ORGANIZATIONS
the Army Relief, Navy Relief and
Red Cross.
Inc drive will be concluded at
midnight June 80. Thus it will last
through Is full days.
II the rubber collection is sufr-
clently large, he said, it might in
crease supplies sufficiently to pro-
tect military needs and perhaps
help meet essential civilian needs
However, the President reiterated
his advice to the car owner with
| 1our good tires to cut down his
mileage and drive slowly to con-
serve his tires.
Declaring he did not like to put
this as warning, but rather as a
simple statement. the President
said he has no idea when it might
be possible for the civilian car own
er to get new tires. 1t may be a
long, long time, he added.
He directed this advice particular
~ to motorists in areas where gaso-
line is not being rationed now. Slow
orlvlng helps to conserve tires. but
1t is much more effective to cut
the mileage in half, he said, sug-
gestlng that both be done.
A reporter remarked on the Presi-
dents reference to the owner of four
tires and asked if there was an i'm,
| pllcatlon that the owner of five
tires soon might not have the fifth.
The President said he did not know
about that, but was sure about four,
The President pointed out that
| there are hundreds of articles be-
sides worn tires and tubes that pro-
vide valuable scrap rubber, mem
tlonlng such things as rubber mats.
rubber-soled shoes. old hot-water
bottles, ralncoatS and rubber ash
trays.
Any items too bulky for indi-
viduals to take to filling stations
will be picked up by oil company
trucks on request of a dealer, Mr.
Roosevelt said. He explained that
the oil companies were donating all
their services.
The drive to collect rubber rep-
resents one important step in eff
forts to deal with the rubber short
age the President said. He point
ed out that Japanese successes in
the Far East have cut us off from
90 per cent of our normal rubber
supply"
The campaign will be directed by
the Bureau of Industrial Conserva-
tlon of the War Production Board
and will be conducted in co-opera.
ton with the petroleum industry
eAAooSAA CAAS OlilSC vi tilC
co-ordinator, he explained.
1,500 Depots Claimed Here.
Although the President mem
toned only filling stations as depots
for the salvage drive, Horace
Walker. executive secretary of the
District Salvage Committee, said the
District would go ahead with its
plans for using shoe shops and
garages as we'll as service stations
as depots.
Washington will have about 1900
depots for the drive, he said. About
$50 filling stations and 400 shoe
shops have been designated as coll
lection points, and to this will be
added number of garages and any
depots set up by salvage committees
Of local citizens associations.
Mr.. Walker said an outline Of the
Districts program was sent to the
White House this morning.
Salvage officials said that metal
scrap also may be taken to these
(See RUBBER. Page ALL