Evening star., 1945-02-02
Commissioners Wait
Food Report as New
Rail Embargo Nears

washington races new IrelRnL
embargo of four days, starting at
one minute after midnight tonight,
and 1t was predicted at the ONCE
of j. Thomas Kennedy. superin-
tendent OF weights, measures and
markets, that 1t would prove more
serious than the three-day curb
of a week ago.
Mr.. Kennedy Is expected to report
to Commissioner John Russell Young
today on the Districts food stu
alton. Commissioner Guy Mason
said that from reports already re-
ceived the District institutions. par
ticularly hospitals, will receive sum-
cient meat and milk.
With the news of the new freight
embargo the District also received a
warning that there is a critical
shortage Of natural gas and unless
the strictest conservation is prac-
ticed whole sections OF the city
might be without gas.
Brownout In Effect.
These developments came with the
first night Of the formal brown -out"
order, which resulted in electric signs
being turned of and show windows
being left dark to save coal-gener-
ated power. The order was observed
strictly in the downtown area. but
less strictly in the outlying areas.
The new freight embargo permits
almost normal movement Of coal and
al1ou,s Tsnuornvoav,f no,,nfAe Sv,r1,sA-
ing the War Food Administration,
to certify essential shipments. Thus,
in the event Of an acute food short
age IN any, areas, the VITA could
have supplies sent in. Another ex-
ception not Included in the previous
order permits the nlovementsof COM
modities loaded in tank cars
Any action by city heads to meet
the effects of this sembartos will
depend on Developments tod1y when
an inventory of supplies in the city
will ~ made. Roland M. Brennan,
District purchasing ofllcer, predicted
the impact of this embargo and the
previous one would not be felt until
February IL. So
Meat Supply Low.
Mr.. Brennan reported there ap-
peared 70 be a sufncient supply Of
fruits and vegetables. but that meat
stocks have fallen OF. 1t was said
at Mr.. Kennedy's ONCE that one Of
the city's largest packing houses was
out of meat and that many other
dealers reported their supplies run
ming low. Some, however, were ex-
pecting shipments today and to-
morrow.
The new embargo will apply to an
area much smaller than was af-
fected by the first embargo. The
area includes Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania, New York, New Jersey, Della
ware, most of Ohio and those por-
tions of West Virginia and Virginia
north of the Chesapeake & Ohio
Railroad line from Huntington, w.
Va, to the Potomac yards.
The shortage of natural gas
brought a plea from Everett ].
Boothby, general manager of the
Washington Gas Light Co., that
those who heat by gas keep tenn
peratures no higher than 65 degrees
during the day, which is 8 degrees
less than the maximum asked Of
those who heat their homes by
means other than gas. He urged
homeowners not to use their gas
ovens for supplementary heat in
homes where oil or coal are used.
A Calls Situation Acute.
Mr.. Boothby urged gas users to
turn of heat In all rooms not in
use and to restrict the use Of hot
water to essentials.
This situation has been creeping
UP on us for three weeks, and is
acute now In the severe cold
weather." Mr.. Boothby said. He
made it clear failure Of consumers
to cooperate In saving gas might
result in thousands Of gasless homes.
Police yesterday issued to 625.
householders who heats with coal
certificates that their bins were
empty, emitting them to emergency
orders of coal. This is ITO more
certificates than were issued We'd
nesday. The average TOR the nrst
three days was 488.
With the brownout order oficially
in effect for the first time last night,
Washington's Thursday night shop
pers traversed the streets through
the encircling gloom and found few
electric signs beckoning them to
shops, restaurants and theaters, and
few illuminated show windows.
In outlying areas, the order was
not 50 strictly observed. Many shop
keepers apparently did not realize
that an electric sign hanging just
inside the glass OF store window
lis prohibited as show-window light
ing. Instances where interior light
ling added to the illumination on
the streets were these where there
Il