Evening star., 1943-06-02
Drive on I Gas
Black Market
Is Planned
Follows Cut in B
And c Coupons;
Stations Stormed


day to crack down on black mar
ket dealers in commercial "T''
gasoline ration coupons in the
wake of yesterdays action cut
ting "B" and &c" coupons from
three to two and one-half gal
Ions in Washington and the 13
Eastern States suffering from
inadequate fuel supplies.
While motorists holding "B' and
&c" coupons stormed service stations
here in an effort to squeeze as much
gas as possible out of their coupons
before the slash became effective last
night at midnight, OPA officials al
ready had mapped plans for more
intensive war on the black market.
Lines of cars at service stations,
no unfamiliar sight since curtail-
ment of supplies, were heightened by
the rush of B" and &C" ticket hold
ers as news of the OPA's action be-
came widespread 1t was not unusual
to see cars extending up one street
and down another as drivers await
ed their turns. Cars completely en-
circled station on the apex of a
triangle at Tuckerman street, Piney
Branch road and Georgia avenue.
Meanwhile the list of pleasure
driving suspects in Washington
scared to 844 today with OPA in
spectors, metropolitan police and
park police reporting new additions
OPA took the license numbers of so
cars parked in the vicinity of Griffith
Stadium, park police halted IL
drivers and metropolitan police took
the names of three suspects.
New Supplies Arriving.
Additional gasoline supplies are
being received here daily, aug
mented by a fleet of 125 tank
trucks, but little of this fuel is for
private motorists. Most is going
into a reserve being built up to as
sure uninterrupted movement of
essential vehicles not only during
the present crisis but in the event
of future emergencies.
Third-quarter "T' coupons for
taxicabs. buses and trucks will bear
a different marking from the pres
ent ct symbol, an ODT spokesman
said. but the new designation will
be kept a closely guarded secret
until the coupons are issued, in an
attempt to thwart counterfeiters.
"T' coupons have been the pri-
mary source of black market trou-
bles. it was said, because operators
have made a practice of buying up
surplus stamps from taxi or truck
operators who reach the end of a
quarter with some to spare. Many
unscrupulous service station opera
tors have accepted them for gaso-
line even when offered by the driver
of passenger car who obviously
was not entitled to them.
Will Invalidate Old Stamps.
Changing the T coupon marking
automatically will invalidate all
second-quarter stamps in the hands
of black marketers, who otherwise
could use them to get gasoline lille
gally in the third quarter of the year.
The new coupons will be issued
outside the IL shortage" States,
starting in mid-June, and will be
valid July l. In the shortage area
where current T rations have been
stretched to 40 per cent to last until
July 25-issuance of the new cou-
pons will start about mid-July.
Truck operators who cross into the
shortage States from outside will be
closely watched, an ODT spokesman
said, to see that old IT" coupons are
not carried into the shortage zone
and used during the 25-day period
when they are still valid in the
Northeast.
The new curtailment covers, in
addition to the District, Maine, New
Hampshire. Vermont, Massachusetts,,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and
eight Eastern counties of West Vir-
ginia.
Cut Is "Appealproof."
The cut in B and C passenger car
coupons was described as appeal
proof" Motorists no longer will be
able to go to their local boards and
get extra rations for occupational
driving.
Declaring that I'VE are long way
fy0r,, fhn hoct # of
passenger cars" one Government
official said:
There are too damned many 95-
pound blonds running around in
2000-pound automobiles
A worker who cannot get to fac
tory or shipyard on the curtailed
ration, said OPA Administrator
Prentiss M. Brown. viii simply have
to move closer to his job.
Asserting that the gasoline isn't
here" Mr. Brown revoked the special
5-gallon ration granted servicemen
on flrlough. and told boards to deny
supplemental rations to any one who
lived within reasonable walking
aiSbcliSC VA lliS NOi N, lCB BdI olCoo VA
car pools and lack of other means of
transportation" The physically
handicapped and those who must
carry heavy tools were exempted
from the latter provision.
Cut 10000 Gallons Daily.
While the Carolinas, Georgia and
Florida escaped yesterdays cut, Mr..
Brown disclosed that the Petroleum
Administration for War is studying
the supply situation in those States
to determine if B and C coupons
should be reduced there. The value
of A coupons already has been re-
duced in line with the rest of the
East, but they are not affected by
the current ban on non-essential
driving in Washington and the
Northeastern States.
Mr.. Brown acted after Secretary
1ckes informed him that the June
gasoline allotment for East Coast
civilian use in June would have to
be reduced from 356.0O0 to $4,000
barrels day. If the Government is
successful, consumption of gasoline
in the stricken area will drop $4,000