Evening star., 1943-05-01
Illicit Gas Sale Saps
East 5 Supplies, Bars
Increase in Rations
Worsening Situation
Seen at Meeting Of OPA
And Oil Officials
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

ny ShVV1LS L. NE w 1olNs
The demands of the EARNED
forces and huge leaks to the
black market are cutting so
heavily into limited Eastern oil
supplies that there is little
chance that gasoline rations can
be increased in the next two
months, and possibly not
through the entire summer, it
was brought out at meeting
here this week of petroleum in
dustry representatives and Office
of Price Administration officials.
The East's gasoline supply situa-
ton. it was said, is likely to become
more critical before it improves.
Supplies have been SO short in the
last two weeks that several times
OPA has contemplated drastic ac-
ton to reduce consumption The
current supply was described as still
acutely short, though somewhat
easier than it has been.
Seek to Combat Black Market.
A large part of the meeting. held
Thursday behind closed doors, was
devoted to means of combating the
black market, which officials agreed
is sapping large portion of the
East's gas supplies. y Coupon coun-
terfeiting also was reported as wide
spread, particularly in the northern
portion of the area. Oil men told
OPA there were more coupons out
than there was gas to redeem them.
and that the thousands of motorists
obeying the law would be unable to
get larger rations until Illicit sales
of motor fuel was checked.
Government officials promised re-
lief from the large number of ra-
tioning regulations which the COM
pany executives charged are making
it impossible for service station op-
orators to comply with the law. So
complex and demanding are OPA
regulations, oil men said, that there
is scarcely station in the East able
to comply with them. Regulations.
due to the manpoWer shortage and
tremendous amount of manual and
paper work involved in compliance,
are broken on a wide scale every
day. This inability to abide by rules.
it was pointed out, tends to break
down the ration system.
Illegal Sales Admitted.
Top officials Of the Easts gasoline
dealers admitted that many stations
probably were taking part in the
black market. They blamed this
condition on the economic position
in which OPA and rationing has
placed operators. They said sta
tions were so pinched by rationlng
and regulations that many We're
forced to break the law in order to
remain in business.
In answer to the petroleum indus
trys charge that thousands of loose
ration coupons were leaking into the
market from local ration boards as
a result of present methods of tai
loring' ration books. OPA stated a
new way Of tailoring" was under
consideration. Rather than the
present method of tearing out and
destroying coupons in excess of
the number to be given an applicant
for a B or c book, OPA will issue
sheets of coupons in varying sizes.
For example. coupon sheets will be
printed in sizes of Is, 4ss IS and IS.
The motorist would be given his al
lotment in whole sheets of coupons.
The idea would be backed up by re-
quiring the local board to give a
strict accounting for all sheets of
coupons supplied it.
Would Fix Monthly Basis.
The oil men suggested as a means
of maintaining better control over
demand for gasoline supplies, that
coupons be made valid on month
to-month basis. Under the present
plan. all coupons in B and C books
are valid any time in three month
period, while A coupons may be
cashed over tWo-month period.
although the current set of A cou-
pons must last four months. Bv
shortening the validity period of
coupons it would be possible to re-
duce runs" on gas supplies and
enable OPA to have better idea of
the rationing demand in any month
ly period.
OPA took under advisement the
lndustrys suggestion for shorten
Ing ration periods. The idea may be
accepted and put in force when the
new ration books are issued this
summer.
A major portion of the meeting
was devoted to ways of reducing
the number of coupons in use with
Olt cutting fllrth her tho ro tio,,c af