Evening star., 1943-06-22
Maryland 0PA Board
Blamed for Officials
Waste in Gasoline
State Treasurer Gives
Approval Of New Quote
For J. MiIIord Towes
BY the Associated Press.

BALTIMORE, June 22.-The State
Office of Price Administration was
charged today with partial response
bllity for issuing excessive gasoline
for State-owned automobiles, while
it was disclosed that State Controller
j. Millard Tawes has been recon-
mended for a fuel ration which will
allow him to drive 1000 miles
month.
The OPA and State officials were
expected to act today on Mr.. Tawes'
applica ton for a new official ration.
The application. if approved, will
then go to Baltimore ration board
which will issue the forms.
Mr.. Tawes' official gasoline ration
was revoked June II, after he ad-
mitted to an OPA panel that he had
driven slightly less than that dis
tarce in a State-owned auto to
attend his sons wedding in Georgia
He admitted misusing C gasoline
ration to make the trip, which
required about week
Hooper S. Miles, State treasurer
and administrator of use of State
owned automobiles said study had
convinced him that ration board
clerks had sometimes issued three
times the necessary amount of gas
oline by considering the applicants
forms as monthly needs, while the
applications covered full three
month requirements.
Miles Probes Rations.
In letter to OPA Director Leo H.
Mccormick, Mr. Miles said that Mr.
Tawes had been granted gasoline
coupons for driving 5,760 miles per
month between March 10 and June
10, the issuance being based on an
estimate of IS miles to a gallon of
fuel He said the total for the three
months was 1920 miles.
From a review which have made
to date of several of the departments
and from other information" Mr..
Miles told Mr.. Mccormick, 1T is ap-
parent that in at least several in
stances gasoline requests for three
month period were considered by
OPA boards as monthly request,
with the result that in those in
stances as much as three times the
monthly requirement was issued"
Mr.. Miles said he had studied a
case involving five employees of the
admission tax division of the State
controllers Office and found that
while they applied for gasoline to
enable them to drive 26,500 miles in
a three month period, they we're
issued coupons enabling them to
drive 60,030 miles.
Application Approved.
Ernest c. Rogers, head of the bu-
reau, said that coupons representing
37,305 miles of driving were returned
to the OPA at the end of the period.
Mr.. Miles letter concerning Mr..
Tawes' application for a new Off
cial gasoline ration said in part:
LAS provided in your letter dated
June II, l943, in connection with
the charges against Mr.. Tawes for
the misuse of gasoline coupons, I
have indicated my approval of his
present application
Mr.. Miles said he understood that
Mr.. Tawes proposed to drive from
Annapolis to his home in Crisfield
and return once weekly, and said he
understood use of the automobile
in this manner will not violate any
Of the regulations of the OPA." He
said the request for 1000 miles O..
driving month includes provisions
for this trip.
The OPA panel which revoked
Mr.. Tawes' Official ration while al
lowing him to apply for a new book
also revoked his personal A ra-
ton for one year.