Evening star., 1943-07-06
JAP NAVAL FORCES POUNDED IN KULA GULF
'0PA Will Allow
Single A Trip
ForVacdtion5
Cars May Be Used
Only Where Other
Means Is Lacking

Price Administrator Brown an
nounced today relaxation of the
pleasure driving ban in the II
Northeastern States to permit
one vacation trip this summer,
"if no alternate means of trans
portation is available"
Mr.. Brown said OPA will permit
such trips, however, only where
motorists have enough gasoline in
their existing A ration Books and
will not grant any additional gas
oline for the purpose.
All other provisions of the pleas
ure driving ban remain in effect.
Mr.. Browns announcement followed
the lines of a proposal made public
earlier today by Representative
Hartley, Republican, of New Jersey.
who headed group of Eastern
members of Congress interested in
making more driving available in
their territory.
Effective July Is.
The new plan will 60 into effect
July Is, and will require any one
contemplating vacation trip to 60
to his local ration board and get a
special permit which will identify
him as nonviolator of the pleas
ure driving ban.
A message to the regional New
York oflice from the OPA in Wash
ington containing the amendment to
the gasoline ration order read:
That basic ration may be used
in restricted area for one round
trip, to be completed in 1943, for
vacation travel or travel to summer
homes in absence of alternative
means of transportation.
"The local board, if satisfied that
applicant has sufficient gasoline or
coupons in basic ration to make
trip. will grant permission on special
form R-572. in duplicate, showing
name Of traveller. description of
vehicle, destination, time Of leaving
and time of returning"
Explaining that the trips will
have to be made out of A coupons
already held by motorists. Mr..
BroYn warned drivers will not have
recourse to further rations should
they be stranded along the road"
Gas Increase Barred.
The gasoline quota for the East
Coast" Mr.. Brown said in a state
ment, remains at $4,000 barrels a
day Moreover, Mr.. Ralph Ky
Davies, deputy administrator Of the
Petroleum Administration for War
which establishes the gasoline allo-
cations for civilian use, informs me
that no additional gasoline can be
made available for any kind of
driving.
Both Mr.. Davies and I believe.
however, that with strict compliance
no substantial increase in gasoline
consumption will result from allow
ing those motorists who have A cou-
pons available to make single
round trip to vacation place.
Should it develop that despite Wig
orous enforcement, an excessive
amount of gasoline is being used,
it will be necessary for OPA to
abandon the plan"
Gardeners Get Cut.
In the meantime, the OPA an
nounced that no more special gaso-
line rations will be issued to Vic
tory gardeners after July II. but
rations already out may be used as
long as valid.
The action was based on an Agri-
culture Department stand that
gardens planted after July II would
be too late to produce enough food
to warrant extra use of tires and
gasoline in cultivating them.
In addition to using special ra-
tions already issued, OPA said, gar
deners may continue to use their
"A" books for short trips to their
gardens, provided they are not more
than miles distant.
The Eastern group which has
been working on this matter is very
grained at the OPA'S decision Mr..
Hartley said, but at the same time
we must stress that any abuse of
this privilege might result in the
complete loss of a coupons in this
area"
The "A" coupons in l2' Eastern
seaboard States have been good for
10 gallons week.
Holders of B and c gasoline books
would not be disqualified from max
ing a vacation trip, but OPA indi-
Gated it would take all possible safe
guards to prevent use of gasoline
from those books for vacation travel.
The plan now under consideration
would require showing before a
local rationing board that the vaca-
ton traveller has sufficient A book
gasoline for the trip and would use
no gasoline from B or c books.