Evening star., 1943-10-13
Davies Assures East
OF Gas Allotment
For Rest Of Year
Rotion Cut in 1914
Depends on Quantity
From Outside U. 5.
By JAMES Y. NEWTON.

There will be sufficient supplies
OF gasoline to meet the East's
current allotment of $4,000
barrels a day for the remainder
of the year, Ralph K. Davies,
deputy petroleum administrator,
declared today following issuance
of the Office of War Information
report that the Nationwide fuel
shortage would intensity as the
was progresses.
In celebrating on the Owl report,
Mr.. Davies said there probably
would be less gasoline for civilians
next year. though he declined to
predict further cut in rations.
He said the present situation is
caused largely by an overall short
age OF petroleum and the fact that
war demands for aviation fuel are
cutting more and more into limited
supplies
Whether there will be ration cut
next year, Mr.. Davies said, depends
on the quantity of petroleum which
can be obtained from sources out
side the United States. There is no
way of predicting accurately at this
time how much petroleum can be
obtained from other sources, he
added.
Quality to Be Poorer.
Owl said there will be less gaso-
line for home consumption as the
war goes on. and it will be of poorer
quality, with less performance and
mileage a gallon A big share of
gasoline produced in this country
must be shipped abroad in 1914 and
l945.
The domestic gasoline shortage
will intensity for the duration, said
the Owl report, and even the Pacific
Coast-which now has high stock
levels-faces the prospect of more
severe rationing.'
Owl conceded several govern
mental errors in the handling of the
gasoline problem but contended
that
The Government has met mill
tary demands fully-demands un-
precedented in modern warfare. 1t
has maintained essential civilian
transportation, though at times with
difficulties"
Share for War to Increase.
Cicilians are getting 100000 bar
rels of gasoline daily. instead of the
1000 they got in l941, Owl said.
The military services now are getting
30.6 per cent of all gasoline produced
east OF the Rocky Mountains, but
next year will get 36.6 per cent and
in 1945. 1916 per cent.
mot only will there probably be
less automobile gasoline, but its
quality will become progressively
poorer owl said. Increasing use
OF tertaethyl lead for fueling air
craft and military vehicles means
further curtailment of this COM
ponent in civilian gasoline, with a
consequent decline in motor and
mileage performance.
An error in estimating "off the
highway use of gasoline-farm
tractors, sawmills, etc.-contributed
to this years drain on East Coast
supplies, Owl disclosed. In the alb
sence of records on such use, allo-
cations were based on estimates
When coupons began coming back
to ration boards. it was discovered
that of off-the-highway use was four
times greater than reckoned.
Until ALLEGATIONS were corrected
October |, the East was Using $4,000
barrels a day more than its alloca-
ton, with the excess coming out of
reserves. Overissuance of passenger
car coupons also was factor.
Many Coupons Stolen.
"OPA recognizes that some boards
have been too generous or too lax
In the issuance of B and c rations
and steps are being taken to correct
these situations" Owl said.
In addition, coupons representing
more than 100000 barrels of gaso-
line have been stolen from ration
boards, and counterfeiting was a
problem in New York and Philadel-
phia until the Secret Service helped
smash the rings.
The Owl report revealed for the
first time that the sinking by SUBJ
marines Of IA large tankers bound
for North Africa was responsible
(see GASOLINE, Page A-l05