Evening star., 1943-07-15
Ration Boards
Begin Issuing
Vacation 'Visas'
Immediate Response
Noted in Most.
Sections Of City

District ration boards began issuing
vacation travel authorizations for
the first time today with an i'm
mediate response in most sections
for persons anxious to use their
basic A gasoline allotment for auto
vacations away from Washington,
Most boards were deciding i'm
mediately on all requests, but sew
eral told applicants the board would
have to act'' before travel permits
could be granted.
Thirty of 40 applicants at Board
No. 81 were turned down. Board
employees said that people ap-
parently thought they could get per-
mission for almost any trip regard
less of how few were going and no
matter how many alternate meth
ods of transportation were available.
Distant Trips Barred
Two motorists were refused au-
thorizations by Board No. 80, located
at Sixteenth and Lamont streets.
where ST sanctions had been granted
early this afternoon. One man was
refused permission to motor to
Michigan and another was denied
authorization to journey to Wis
consin. The board decided the dis
tance was too far in the first case
and in the second that the ap-
plicant didn't have sufficient cou-
pons to cover the amount of gaso-
line required for the trip.
Board No. 20 reported it had re-
ceived about 40 requests before noon
and was granting permits in all
reasonable cases.
Board No. 43 had one request be-
fore noon, that for permission to
motor to Ocean City, Nd, which
was approved.
Busiest Office.
Probably the busiest Office was
that of Board No. A. located in the
Langley School at Twentieth and
Ewart streets NE. where six per-
sons, anxious to leave the city today,
were given permits, while the rest
were held over pending meeting
of the board Board workers de-
clined to estimate the number of re-
quests. but said there were a great
many"
Board No. 80 reported the receipt
OF more than so requests, which will
be passed on later, while Board No
IL had okayed about a dozen and
Board No II, which was not rusked,
was granting reasonable requests.
Applicants were lined up at both
the Bethesda and Silver Spring ra-
ton boards half an hour after the
boards opened this morning.
Instructions to Boards.
OPA instructions to ration boards
direct that in determining the ade-
quacy of alternative transportation
the board will consider such facts
as availability of an accommoda-
ton on train or bus to within rea-
sonable distance of destination; age
and physical condition of persons.
amount and nature of baggage. For
example, family moving appreciable
amount of baggage to cottage for
summer may be elegible, even
though family might go by train.
But family going to summer hotel
with limited amount of baggage
might be required to use other
transportation if available"
Ration board clerks are author
ized to stamp a form filled out by
the motorist. Once stamped, the
form is the authorization for the
trip. Filling out the form requires
entering name and address of the
motorist, details identifying car, the
starting point and destination and
the dates of leaving and returning.
1t also requires a declaration of
speedometer reading and a state
ment that the applicant has suffi-
cient coupons or gasoline to make
the trip.
Form in Duplicate.
The form is in duplicate and the
board will keep a copy in the appli-
cant's file.
A press release issued by the
Washington OPA Office today states:
The applicant may not use the Tor
pleasure or amusement purposes
within the critical area after arriv-
ing at his destination. The same
rules will continue to apply to the
cars staying at home. The car may,
of course, be used for the same
essential purposes at the resort or
summer home as it could be used
at home"
officials emphasized that no extra
gasoline may be obtained for vaca-
ton use. Some applicants appar-
emily had the impression that they
could get special vacation allotments.