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Show ures are already being taken by the companies involved. While the situation is admittedly complex and no one seems to know answers ans-wers to all the problems involved, observers here believe that government gov-ernment officials can contribute greatly to a solution by abandoning abandon-ing their "scold and scare" tactics and concentrating on the facts of the case. ((jkdlwtqtoii by JameS Preston The recent shake-up in the government gov-ernment defense agencies is a leading lead-ing topic of cloakroom conversation conversa-tion here, and a great deal of comment centers on the widespread wide-spread confusion that led to the reorganization. Those familiar with the situation agree that in the past the entire defense picture pic-ture has been needlessly muddled. To substantiate their story they point to numerous examples. The manner in which various government agencies compete with each other for available supplies of raw materials furnishes them with a case in point. While they admit that proof is hard to obtain, ob-tain, they have a strong suspicion that some departments are buying larger quantities of strategic materials ma-terials like copper and steel than they can actually use. This does them little immediate good, and it frequently works a hardship on many private industries who are unable to obtain enough of these materials to meet their needs. At the present time these departments de-partments get all the supplies they ask for, without having to prove that they actually need them for immediate use. If such proof were required, their allotments might be cut and the plight of numerous private firms now suffering from lack of such materials might be somewhat improved. professes to know whether any attempt will be made to follow up those words with deeds, many persons per-sons on the sidelines here are seizing seiz-ing on the statement as another example of the confusion that characterizes the whole gasoline .shortage issue. Conflicting rumors and contradictory contra-dictory statements have appeared in such a steady stream that no one at the moment seems to be entirely en-tirely sure of what the truth really is. In some quarters there is a strong suspicion that the entire gas scarcity issue is being played up to dramatize the war. However How-ever that may be and it, too, is only a rumor the, fact remains that official Washington has been extremely reluctant to let the public pub-lic in on the facts of the situation. At present ways of alleviating the shortage seem to exist, but whether they will turn out to be the answers to the problem, observers ob-servers here are not yet willing to say. They do point out, however, how-ever, that the situation was allowed allow-ed to become acute before anything any-thing was done about it, and as an example, they cite the fact that a pipeline to carry petroleum to East Coast refineries was proposed 13 months before any action was taken on it. Whatever . criticism they may have for government agencies in connection with the gas shortage, those familiar with the situation unite in praising the oil industry for the efficiency with which it has tackled its end of the problem. Accelerated Ac-celerated tanker construction, maximum use of tankers now in operation, use of pipelines, barges and trucks. These and other meas- Whether or not the new defense set-up will be able to cut through the confusion surrounding that and similar problems remains to be seen. Even though most observers observ-ers are inclined to adopt a "wait-see" "wait-see" policy regarding the reorganization, reor-ganization, doubt is expressed in some quarters that the new board will be able to function with the efficiency required for maximum defense effort. That can only be achieved, they insist, by one-man control of the entire defense production pro-duction set-up. The new board divides di-vides authority, and for that reason rea-son they are inclined to see in it one more instance of the president's presi-dent's reluctance to delegate responsibility. res-ponsibility. Many of those who hold this view have frequently declared often for publication that the biggest defense bottleneck bottle-neck of all is right on the president's presi-dent's desk. Although the current gasoline shortage affects only the eastern states, Secretary Ickes is on record rec-ord as having said that the rest of the country might have to conserve con-serve gasoline, too more or less as a disciplinary measure of the belt-tightening kind, in the view of some observers. While no one |