Evening star., 1943-04-29
Fuel Oil Ration
Requests TO Be
by Mail.
Brown Sees Chance
Of Larger Quotas for
Some Small Homes

Price Administrator Prentiss M.
Brown announced today that regis
tration for next winters fuel oil will
be handled by mail this summer in
the 33 States where oil use is re-
stricted, and that rations will not
be cut.
Mr.. Brown said there may be an
increase in the ration notably for
small homes" that were pinched for
supplies last winter. For most
me-owners, however, there will be
no Rehabilitation of needs, the ra-
tion remaining the same.
Local boards will send out appli-
cation blanks within the next two
months and coupons will be mailed
in time to fill tanks by midsummer,
so that commercial storage space
may be utilized for oil reserves in
the shortage areas. Mr. Brown said
fuel oil rationing would not be eX-
tended to other States.
Coupons Good for so Gallons.
Mr.. Brown said the new coupons
will have larger unit values, and
the normal value of a household
coupon will be so gallons instead of
10. There will be fewer coupons,
however.
To facilitate econopnical deliveries
by dealers and for the convenience
of consumers, coupons will remain
valid for longer period than last
year. There will still be five periods,
but first-period coupons will remain
valid throughout the second period,
second-period coupons through the
third and so on. In the Middle West,
periods two and three will be con-
solidated, and four and five will be
merged.
AS another element of fexibility,
| Mr.. Brown added one-SiXth of every
consumers coupons will be valid all
season instead of for fixed periods.
Revision of Ration Needed.
Except in the Northwest. con-
sumers will be permitted about July
to spend up to one-third of next
seasons coupons to fill their tanks.
In the Northwest, householders will
| be permitted to use between 40 and
| As per cent of next seasons ration
at an earlier date to fill their tanks.
Oil left over from last seasons ra-
tions will not be considered in figur-
ing next years rations, unless con-
sumers voluntarily ask for a reduc-
ton.
Mr.. Brown explained that the
OPA had made a special analysis of
more than 10000 individual rations
and concluded that there was a
need for larger rations for many
small homes"
He said the survey showed that
the floor area method for setting
limits on rations based on a per-
centage curtailment has resulted in
disproportionately large cuts for
many small houses.
Wherry Assails Rationing.
At the Capitol, Senator Wherry,
Republican. of Nebraska said evil
dence before the Special Senate
Midwest Fuel Investigating Com
mittee showed conclusively that
fuel oil rationing and conversions
for home consumption are unjusti-
fed He added that he was rec
ommending their elimination in IT
| MidWestern States.
Unanimous testimony before the
committee" he said, has been that
rationing and conversions to other
types of fuel have saved only 21,OOO,-
900 barrels of fuel oil for home con-
sumption in the Nation since the
program was started.
The evidence also has disclosed
that about 100000 barrels a day
are consumed. In other words. only
five days of fuel oil have been saved
by rationing and conversions during
| all this time"