Evening star., 1943-06-09
'Nidwest:0pelp$
Fight 10 Block
Gas Reduction
Members Of Congress
Unite to Oppose
Eastern Bloc,

Anticipated opposition to diversion
| OF gasoline from MidWestern areas to
the drought-stricken East began to
take shape today with prairie State
| members of Congress arraying their
forces for what could develop into
lengthy fight with the non-partisan
Eastern bloc to prevent stricter
rationing in their home districts.
Plans for meeting of Midwestern
legislators were being mapped by
Representative Cunningham. Repub-
lican. of Iowa, to inquire into the
move to draw off supplies from the
West to alleviate tie East's shortage.
Representative Halleck, Republican,
of Indiana opposed the extension of
| the pleasure driving ban to the Mid
west merely to compel motorists in
all parts Of the Nation to suffer
Stocks Are Low.
Petroleum Administration for War
officials had still another problem
to contend with, however, that of
getting sufficient fuel oil to the East
forfnext winter The unusually cold
/ spring and diversion of tankcars for
hauling gasoline have sent reserve
| stocks IN seaboard States north of
Virginia to levels lower than during
the critical months last winter, it
was reported.
Meanwhile, the Office of Price
Administration has prepared one of
its simplest forms for oil ration re-
newals for next winter. Only five
questions must be answered on the
form, which will be mailed from
local Offices to Users in 80 OIL
rationed States and the District
within the next few days.
Assuming that you have not
moved since last year, you need fill
in only your name and address. your
supplier's name and address. check
the kind of oil used and sign your
name and the date
Speed Is Urged.
Return of the forms will be by
mail. and the OPA urged speed so
that home owners can begin filling
their tanks early in July. The
OPA pointed out that stocking up
home tanks will add appreciably to
the total storage capacity in the
rationed area"
The blanks include space to show
how much less oil you need this sea-
! son than last.
The Government is not going to
try to check up on people who have
been saving and they need not turn
In all those unused coupons or re-
port excess gallonage, OPA stated.
But any one who had too much can
ask for reduction in his ration.
| Representative Cunningham said
he wanted to know if gasoline to be
shipped east from the Midwest would
go to the armed forces or simply to
ease the civilian shortage He indi-
Gated he would fight any attempt to
put the West in the same boat
with the East.
Representative Halleck told re-
porterS that even if it were true
that cIamping added restrictions on
| the Midwest would mean an addi-
! tional $4,000 barrels daily for East
ern consumers it seemed a rela-
lively small amount to him. He
said he thought the idea would not
materially aid Eastern motorists but
would only make car owners in his
territory suffer
PAW officials. spokesman said,
had hoped to build up fuel oil stocks
during the summer, but heavier
expected consumption of gaso-
line for nom essential driving placed
such demand on transportation IA
cilities that last month fuel oil
stocks in the East were but 26.8
per cent of normal. In addition,
military demands for both gasoline
and fuel oil have been enormous. "
PAW officials are hopeful, how
ever, that transportation program
can be so worked out that Eastern
States householders will have at
least as much fuel oil next winter
as last. winter.
The fuel oil-gasoline question
probably will be discussed at tomor-
rows meeting of the committee of
Eastern States Representative and
Senators conducting an investiga-
ton into the seaboard gasoline
shortage. The committee has in
vited Secretary Ickes to testify, be-
cause, as petroleum administrator
they hope he will have the answers
to the barrage of questions they
fired at PAW and OPA witnesses
Monday.
Good News for East Seen.
What Mr.. Ickes tells the commit
tee, the spokesman said, may be
good news for the East, but not
so good for the Middle West. This
was his explanation:
Gasoline rationing from the start
has been based entirely upon supply,
and supply has been based entirely
on transportation facilities. Eastern
Seaboard States are rationed more
severely than elsewhere because the
gasoline available in the Middle
West and elsewhere can't be shipped
eastward in sufficient quantities.
But gradually the transportation
bottleneck is being broken. Pipe
lines are being constructed and
placed in operation. Other means of