The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-17

on the end of q limb for some
cause or other and spout original
and trenchant phrases until shot
down. No more prophecies from Sec
rotary Ickes? Half the fun of Wash
ington will be gone and the place
will be as desolate as though bomb
ed and scorched.
At the secretary's last press con-
ference he was offered any number
Of opportunities to do some plain
and fancy long range predicting,
but he ducked them all.
Would there be another gas short
age? (Mr. Ickes is Petroleum Co.
ordinator)
1t was mentioned that with crude
! oil production at Al million barrels
day and with some estimates put
ting the wartime demand at mil
lion barrels day, there might be
another gas shortage, but Ickes
thought not. Gas raticning was 60
ing to take care of itself because of
the rubber shortage. People would
MT be able to drive their cars and
demand for gas would be proper
tionately reduced.
PLENTY OF FUEL
Would there be coal shortage?
(Mr. Ickes Is Solid Fuels Co-ordin-
ator)
No, there was surplus now. Users
of coal were being urged to build up
their stockpiles and fill their bins
while this surplus existed and there
were ample transportation facilities
to do the hauling. Opening of the
Great Lakes transportation season
April / would bring heavier de-
mands for coal, and shortage Of rub
Der for coal truck tires might
change this situation later, but no
shortage now.
Would there be fish shortage?
(Mr. Ickes Is boss Of the Fish and
Wildlife Service and has an interest
in the territorial government Of
Alaska, where there is big fish in
dustry)
No, normal operation of all the
fisheries could be assumed, and be-
sides, there was big reserve from
last seasons pack.
Would there be power shortage?
(Mr. Ickes Is chairman of the Ma
tional Power Policy Committee)
1t was here That the secretary
broke down and said he was never
going to be prophet any more. He
had prophesied power shortage be-
fore and been jeered at, so he duck
ed. But there had been power short
ages last summer and attention
might be called to the proposed day
light saving bill which was intended
primarily as a power conservation
measure.
There might be a shortage of
Government House rum. (Mr. Ickes
the territorial govern
ment OF the Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico, where rum-maklng Is
a leading Industry
OPM's new order that. distilleries
must concentrate on the manufac-
ture of alcohol for explosives and
other war materials may affect even
the government owned and operated
RIGHT ON GAS
There Is plenty Of helium. tMr.
Ickes as oil administrator oversees
gas well production)
Here Mr.. Ickes chuckles. This is
one of his little prediction chickens
that came home to roost. 1t has only
one tail feather and one dropping
wing, but the war has vindicated the
secretary's stormy insistence cou-
pie of years back that no United
States helium should 60 to Ger
many.
The rubber shortage and the auto
shortages aren't Department of In
terror babies, except indirectly, and
don't forget Mr.. Ickes is boss Of the
National Park Service.
AS such, he has issued orders to
all national park police and to all
the far-fung dominions Of the De-
partment of Interior, including the
Grazing Service and the Bureau of
Reclamation and the Bureau of In
dian Affairs and all the others, to-
conserve rubber you better keep
off my roads If you want to go over
40 miles an hour" warns the sec
rotary. "And I won't fix tickets"
This Is much more like the old
Harold