Evening star., 1948-01-08
|ANocationSIated
To Ease Capital
Fuel Oil Crisis
$500, 900 Gallons Due
For D. c. Area, Now
Just Getting By

what brighter turn here today as
the Senate Small Business Commit
tee arranged for ALLEGATION of ap-
proximately 3,500,000 gallons for the
District area, with an equal amount
for Philadelphia. Washington fuel
oil industry spokesmen reported
they still are "just getting by" in
meeting consumer demand.
Representatives of Is major oil
companies notified the Maritime
Commission at the same time that
they are concentrating practically
all their tanker fleets on serving the
United States trade. This was an
nounced at commission meeting
called yesterday at the request of
Chairman Wolverton of the House
Commerce Committee to discuss
tanker operation and means of COM
batting the fuel oil shortage, par
ticularly on the Atlantic seaboard.
Washington fuel oil company rep
resentatives declared today that
supply and demand are so close
here that even one days delay in
deliveries to distributors would find
the situation "precarious."
1--WE have a series of small crises
at the end of every 10 days instead
of one big crisis at the end of the
month";" William Warner, chairman
of the Executive Committee of the
fuel oil division of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association,
commented.
Allocated on To-Day Basis.
He said two of the larger COM
panies, Standard and Gulf, are fol-
lowing a plan whereby each jobber
and retailer is given allocations on
a Today basis. That arrangement
is similar to a wartime practice of
most oil companies.
The next delivery period be-
gins Sunday. Barring unforeseen
weather or other unusual difficult
ties, the companies will have
enough oil on hand to supply deal
ers on the present basis until that
time, industry spokesmen said.
Lack of oil storage facilities has
always been a problem in Wash
ington, 1t was explained. One oil
company said it had space only
for a Today supply even in nor
NAL times. Several Of the COM
panies rely on barge transporta-
ton and are hoping the Potomac
River Is not affected by freezing
weather or heavy fog to delay de-
liveries.
The strike Of refinery workers at
the Texas City, Tex, refinery of the
American Oil Co. may cut seriously
into the Washington supply, COM
pany officials warned. The COM
pany has about $4,000 fuel oil GUS
toners in this area.
In a formal statement and news
paper advertisements, the company
declared "the battle to beat the fuel
oil emergency, being fought by the
Government and industry alike, has
been dealt a body blow by the
strike"
Strike Blocks 100000 Gallons.
The refinery workers strike was
called New Years Day by the CIO
oil workers union. About 2,500,000
gallons of fuel oil a day was normally
shipped to the East Coast.
The arrangement for distribution
of an additional 100000 gallons of
fuel oil to Washington and Phila-
delphia was announced today by
Senator Martin, Republican of
Pennsylvania, chairman of the Sen
ate Small Business Committee.
About half of the distribution is
scheduled for the washington area,
a committee official said.
Senator Martin declared the COM
mittee would continue to act as long
as. the present fuel oil emergency
exists. The newest ALLEGATION is
similar to earlier arrangements
"negotiated' by the committee with
major refineries and the Petrol
Corp, he explained.
A sign of the shortage in Phila-
delphia was an order issued today
to stop Illuminating the statue of
William Penn atop the city hall.
The blackout of the statue will save
300 gallons of oil each night, Mayor
Bernard Samuel said.