Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-04
Denies Fuel Oil PIon
Was New Deal Project
Heotins Industry Spokesman
Insists Rotionine System
Is Best Possible Device

Insists Rotionins System
Is Best Possible Device
| To the Editor Of The Star:
Public clamor against the fuel oil ra-
tioning plan. famed by writer's who
haven't looked beneath the surface, has
reached the point that it's time a few
statements were made in its defense.
Widest objection is to the completely
Of the plan, which has caused delay in
local rationing board oflices. Admitted
ly 1t is not as simple as rationing gaso-
line, tires or sugar, but in the case of
those three only inconvenience Is being
decreed. while with fuel oil 1t is the
much more serious matter of health and
comfort. The plan had to check more
| factors than was necessary with the
earlier simpler rationing programs. 1t Is
complex to about the extent that it would
take an informed person an hour to
make 1t perfectly clear to an average
high school student, not only clear as
to its mechanics but also in reasons why
each feature Is the most practical
method for the moment. I'd wager
dinner with music that could do this
with any bright ONCE boy.
Newspaper writer's have gone pretty
far out on the limb in insisting that the
plan could have been much better If
every one had been given simply a
uniform percentage cut from last years
fuel oil consumption. The truth on this
will eventually come out, and there will
be some red faces.
For two reasons, straight percentage
cut is impractical. The first Of these
could be learned by visiting local board
ONCE. Less than half of all applicants
can supply a clear record OF last years
consumption-they don't know what it
was. True, the substantial citizen who
bought his oil from large company
on a monthly credit basis can readily
get an exact record. But with few ex-
ceptions, C. o. D. deliveries were not
identified by customer: they were simply
cash sales
BY and large, major oil companies
kept a record of cash sales companies
like Shell, Socony, ESQ. But all of the
major oil companies combined deliver
at retail to homes only about 20 per
cent of all such fuel oil; the remaining
80 per cent is delivered by independent
marketers, many of them small, and
their records are anything but COM
plete. Moreover, in many cities there
are more people who buy oil to heat their
homes with space heaters (oil-fired par
lor stoves than with basement boilers
Or furnaces. They get oil every few days
from the man who comes to the door,
and they get it in small lots, anywhere
from to so gallons at a time. Rarely
do any of these "peddlers" keep Gus
toner records. When pressed by Gus
toner who think they must have a GER
tificate of last seasons consumption, the
peddler will make guess, but every one
concerned knows it's only guess, and
usually quite liberal one.
While total gallons sold to these homes
that use space heaters is only one-third
of that sold for central heating plants,
the number of such homes is in higher
proportion The latest estimate of oil
heated homes in the 80 rationed States
is 1854, TOO OF these. only 2097,150
have central heating plants; the other
l ,457 $50 use oil space heaters only. In
the latter group, dependable past con-
sumption records would not cover 10
per cent. Thus, If past consumption
were the only measure of a ration. half
of the applicants would get little or
much oil, depending upon the lucid
imagination of their supplier.
There is a second sound reason why
past consumption, even where available,
would work severe injustice. Every OIL
heating industry man knows that some
houses have been using twice as much
oil as others the same size. For ex-
ample Mr. McDougal has had his house
insulated, weather-stripped, storm SASH
ed, turned down his thermostat at
night, held a 68-degree daytime tenn
perature, his burner adjusted for highest
combustion efficiency; he burned last
year 1900 gallons. His neighbor, Smith,
with the same size house, has done none
Of these things to save oil-his thermo-
stat was set at IS degrees day and
night; he burned last year 5000 gall
Ions. Assuming each were cut uni
form percentage of past consumption,
say one-third, Smith, the oil waster,
would get 1000 gallons; McDougal 1000.
Smith could then moderate his heating
habits, fix up his house and heating
plant, and spend the winter in luxurious
comfort on his 1000. McDougal finds
nothing more can be done to his place, SO
he spends the winter shivering, with his
1000. The straight percentage cut
would thus bless the waster and damn
the frugal McDougal.
This is why square feet of floor area
had to enter the plan. Where past
consumption figures are available both
factors are used to cross-check. Where
no past reliable consumption records
are to be had, the ration is based on
square feet.
The present plan still blesses the
fuel waster slightly at the expense Of
the frugal, but much less so than If only
historic consumption were the basis.
Those two measurements are the foun-
dalton Of the program.
Minor considerations include allowing
an extra 100 gallons If there is child
under L. auxiliary ration for old or sick
people and slight variation for num-
Der Of people in family.
The plan was not developed, as often
claimed, by New Deal theorists; it was
evolved lock, stock and barrel by heat