The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-30

State OPA Director Chester P.
Bowles has publicly expressed his
dislike of the ban on pleasure driv-
ing, but recognizing the drastic Or
der as the only effective means Of
saving gas, he appeals to the public
Of Connecticut to be patient, patri-
otto and cooperative. Task Is mas
ty, unpleasant one, fraying nerves
and tempers and provoking unjust
names. Mr.. Bowles presents the
other side Of the picture which crit
les must first study to know where
Of they speak and crab. Mr..
Bowles' appeal follows:
Like everyone else in Connect
icut, I have heartily disliked the
need for this rule against pleasure
driving" from the start. 1t was put
in force only because drastic ac-
ton was necessary If ~e were to
continue to get our workers to their
jobs. The day when 1t can finally
be eliminated will be welcome day
for us all.
But before outline my proposal,
I would like to review the basic gas
oline situation. In my opinion, it is
important vitality important
for every one of us to under
stand it thoroughly.
At present, our overworked rail-
roads, together with our pipe lines,
are bringing roughly one million,
three hundred thousand barrels of
petroleum products to our East
Coast every day.
! I am told that it is impossible to
increase this flow of oil and gaso-
line. Already, the pipe lines are
working full blast. Already, more
than seventy thousand tank cars
are assigned to this task of supply
ing oil to New England and the
Eastern Seaboard. That leaves less
than thirty thousand tank cars to
serve the entire remaining part of
| the country.
If gasoline rationing was applied
with equal vigor to the Western
States, it would not mean any extra
gasoline for us who live along the
Eastern Seaboard, simply because
our transportation system cannot
carry a single additional COLON.
Sharing Misery
When we here in the East suggest
that gasoline be rationed as strict
ly in our Western States as in New
England, we are suggesting that
others should be ,ade miserable
simply because we are miserable. I
cannot believe that any intelligent
citizen in our state will knowingly
take any such stand.
Now every day huge proportion
of our incoming supply Of petroleum
products must be Immediately ear
marked for transportation to the
war areas in Europe and the Med
iterranean. The Army and Navy de-
mands are tremendous and they are
growing stedily every day. Certain
", there Is no one in Connecticut
WHO would wish to see these Army
and Navy supplies reduced by even
single gallon, for the more sup
plies we can ship abroad the quick
a this war will be won.
Now the OPA has no power what
soever over the basic production or
transportation of gasoline and other
petroleum products. We are given
certain limited quota of gasoline
each month based on industrial re-
uuirements and on the demands OF
the Army and Navy. 1t Is our sole
responsibility to distribute that gas
oline to YOU folks who own automo-
biles and trucks, farm tractors and
other gasoline burning equipment,
each in line with his essential war
time requirements.
Some of you people feel that the
OPA is too tough when 1t comes to
rationing gasoline. But let me give
YOU some facts which may make you
wonder if we have been tough
enough. In the month Of March, we
civilians used nearly twenty per
cent more gasoline than our quota
actually allowed us. This situation
was so alarming that early In April
I devoted one Of my radio talks to
an urgent request to each Of you to
reduce his driving to an absolute
minimum.
7 told you that thousands OF gal
Ions of gasoline were being wasted
by cars with only one or two pas
sengers. 7 told you that every B"
and &C" ration holder had to pull
in his belt and he had to do so
quickly. 49,,
However, in the month OF April,
we again exceeded our quota
this time by more than twenty per
cent.
Excessive Use
This excessive use of gasoline by
our "B" and &c" ration book hold
ers could not be continued without
sharply affecting the war effort.
If our armed forces were TO con-
tinue to receive the vital supplies
necessary to carry out the offensive
plans of 1913, we had to act, ana
we had to act quickly.
So in May there was no cholce
but to again impose this thoroughly
unpopular ban on all pleasure dr1V"
ing" The decision, of course, was
made by Prentiss Brown In Wash
ington. I can assure you that ne
hated the need for that decision
lust as much as you and hated IL;
This drastic ban against al
pleasure driving" was the one and
only method by which the necessary
gasoline savings could be achieved
with any promptness and without
grave danger to our war production.
Let me quickly list the alterna.
tiyes. A further cut in the value OF
all "a" books would have caused
many hardships, particularly among
those who live any distance from a
shopping center. If we rationed eacn
individual "a" book holder on Inc
basis of his health, age and access
bility to the stores, the load OF worh
on the ration boards Woulo ha.e
multiplied, and a quick saving M
gasoline would have been unnkely y,
If we had cut the ratlons OF On
"p" hook holders who we're not en-
Gagged in essential war work, we
wo1,ld have caused an acute upheav-
:, =. z,,~ h,,cinaSc life