At the Pump

Curfew on gas stations in the East last week got startling results. The first was the discovery by the Government that instead of dropping, gasoline consumption rose an estimated 8%. The second was the discovery by the public that Government rationing had already arrived. Without warning, OPACS' Leon Henderson ordered oil companies to cut their deliveries to filling stations 10%. That did give motorists a jolt.

Bewildered by this sudden turn of events (though something like it had been promised), consumers wondered how the remaining 90% was going to be distributed. Outside of declaring that service stations should discriminate in favor of commercial and farm vehicles and private cars on business bent, Mr. Henderson gave no hint. Distribution was up to the man at the pump.

Just as bewildered was the man at the pump. A message from Oil Coordinator Harold Ickes shed no light. Declaring that equitable "apportioning" should be done by filling-station operators so as to exact "as few hardships" as possible, he declared: "You can no more fail in [this task] than can a soldier, a sailor or a worker in a vital defense industry."

The order was obviously a stopgap. Before the East's supply of oil became critically short (on account of a tanker shortage), oilmen expected Washington would finally have to take on itself the nasty task of rationing individuals. The man at the pump obviously could not do the job in a way satisfactory to his customers or to the Government.

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