Days of Necessity

Back in the teeth of half the nation winter flung an old, unheeded warning. Some people, unconvinced that the inevitable would happen, had not bothered to apply for fuel-oil rations. Some had already used up their quotas. And when winter's first frigid spell dropped thermometers toward the lowest point in 15 years (in Minneapolis) or 60 years (in Detroit) or any recorded year (in Pittsburgh), oil reserves ran dangerously low.

P: In Boston hundreds of homes and schools had frozen water pipes. Householders who thawed them out caused flooded cellars and--indirectly--more than 250 fires. Mothers from Boston's West End section picketed the Statehouse with placards: "We want more oil for our children." Hundreds of users of small kerosene heaters besieged dealers for supplies (see cut). Governor Leverett Saltonstall issued an emergency order to establish shelters for half-frozen families.

P: In Detroit thousands of trailer dwellers had to fetch oil in small cans from emergency stations. A critical oil shortage was on, but an oil-company official found that only one out of every 3,000 oil furnaces had been converted to coal.

P: Connecticut's Governor Robert A. Hurley proclaimed a state of emergency on fuel oil in Connecticut, named a State Fuel Coordinator with powers to take needed action "to secure equitable distribution of fuel to all the people of Connecticut."

P: In Minneapolis and St. Paul a 45-day backlog was cut to a 30-day supply; 100,000 homeowners besieged rationing boards with applications for oil. State officials ordered an inventory of Minnesota's oil supplies, planned to open schoolhouses for the suffering.

P: In Pittsburgh a woman wrapped up her stove, trudged with it under her arm to the board to let them see how much kerosene she needed.

P: In Washington, D.C., hundreds of people closed off rooms to save oil and got burst water pipes for their pains. One was North

Dakota's Senator Gerald P. Nye: part of his house was flooded twice. Reported Mrs. Nye: "The Senator was pretty angry."

Whom to Blame. For the chaos everybody blamed everybody else. Homeowners scolded fuel-oil companies. Oil companies blamed divided authority in Washington for confusion in deliveries. Government officials blamed 1) slow rationing boards, 2) citizens' failure to turn in ration cards to the oil companies, 3) the draining of oil from other Eastern areas to New York.

Washington tried to ease the situation:

P: Rationing coupons for the third heating period were moved up to Dec. 23 from Jan. 5. In 13 midwest states the coupon value was upped 10%.

P: Petroleum Administrator Harold Ickes issued a new order: the total oil taken from supply tanks in 17 Eastern states "must be within the limits of the supply which the Petroleum Administration determines will be available in that area during any quota period."

P: Economic Stabilizer James Byrnes conferred with Harold Ickes, Leon Henderson, Transportation Director Eastman. Immediate result: none. His warning: "No hope for any lessening of the restrictions upon the use of fuel oil."

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