Evening star., 1943-01-07
Driving Ban
Continued From First Page )

or c ration books may and may not
be used during the oil emergency
was defined by the OPA as follows:
mo person to whom basic ration
has been issued may use or permit
the use Of such ration for any driv-
ing in the gasoline shortage area,
other than family or personal neces-
sity driving for which no adequate
alternate means of transportation
are available, or occupational driv-
ing. or driving by naval or military
personnel on leave or furlough for
the purpose of visiting relatives or
making special calls: Provided,
that such leave or furlough is evi-
denced by leave provisions in travel
or transfer orders, or by liberty
cards, leave papers, furlough certifl-
Gates. letters or special orders
signed by the commanding officer"
OPA emphasized that the list of
permitted and prohibited purposes
is not all-'nclusive. and that local
raticning boards will have discretion
in determining the essentially of
driving in individual cases, basing
their decision on local conditions
1t was pointed out the availability
Of alternate means of transporta-
ton will be an important factor in
all local board decisions covering
trips in the family or personal
necessity category"
Wife May Shop With Car.
Along this line for example, an
OPA Spokesman said a housewife
would be permitted to use the car
for trips to the grocery if there
was a heavy load to be brought
home, even though transportation
in the vicinity might be adequate.
In the instructions given the
commission, Mr.. Leary also said:
NO supplemental feet or official
rations which do not fully retain
the Is per cent reduction caused by
the cut in B and c rations may be
issued except on showing extreme
hardship and then only after ap-
proval by the nearest OPA State or
District rationing officer. This ap-
proval measure is incorporated as a
buffer for boards against public re-
sentiment.
Boards must start Immediately to
examine all supplemental rations to
make sure these have been properly
issued, and promptly to recall and
reduce such rations to the minimum
requirement Complete instruction
guide being prepared for all boards
should be given this advance notice
at once"
Hearings for Violators.
Mr Leary said each person against
whom report of violation may be
made would be granted hearing
before the rationing board. He
added that the burden would be on
the person holding the ration book
as to the use to which the car was
put.
Mr.. Leary asked and obtained ap-
proval by the Commissioners for in
struction to police to watch for vio-
lations by taxicabs as we'll as private
car owners. but Corporation Counsel
Richmond B. Keech interpreted this
as intended only for proposes of in
formation. He said taxicab drivers
having r cards instead of A. B or c
cards were not. in his opinion, sub
ject to the new OPA rule.
Meanwhile. an OPA official pointed
out that the ban on pleasure driving
Is all-inclusive, and that an in
vestigation will be made if the
agency receives complaints Of Gov
errmentowned cars being used for
non-essential driving.
u. S. Cars Included.
There is no intention of letting
Government cars get away with ex-
cess driving the official stated. He
said the Government cars, which
have "B' and &C. ration cars. will
be given the same treatment as
others under the Tightening up
orders designed to halt all non-
essential driving.
AS officials pushed plans to curtail
the use of "a" "B" and &C" cards
to ban all pleasure driving, on an
other front the ODT announced that
it will soon launch a complete re-
view of the 1T" card situation.
The ODT issues certificates of war
necessity to operators of such pub
lie vehicles as trucks, buses and
taxis, enabling them to get ''T"
cards from their rationing boards.
An official of ODT said the agency
will tighten down. on the issuance
and use of ''T'' carGs However. he
added that ODT will not launch its
investigation until we can see clear
ly what impact the pleasure driving
curtailment will have on public
transportation
Parking Decreases.
A check today with q number of
District Of Columbia parking lots
and garages indicated a drop in the
number of cars parked. from a very
small percentage at some Of the
smaller parking places up to as high
as 10 per cent at some of the larger
ones. The comparison made repre-
sents the estimated drop from the
number parked yesterday, before the
pleasure driving ban went into effect.
Several reported a drop of ar-
proximately so per cent and there
appeared to be a noticeable drop
particularly In the number Of short
time markers or those uho hereto