Show Congressmen Seek Bar BarOn Baron ar arOn On Gasoline Rationing WASHINGTON June 5 INS With INS With a group of congressmen congressmen con- con gressmen n making an hour eleventh-hour effort to forestall nationwide nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide wide gasoline rationing President Roosevelt Friday held a a 40 minute conference with high government officials on the issue after which one of the the conferees confer confer- ees Archibald MacLeish announced announced announced an an- some final decision will be reach reached d in the future MacLeish who holds the dual job of librarian of congress and director director tor of the office of facts and figures figures figures fig fig- ures acted as spokesman for the officials as they left the White House louse He said We We had a a. routine discussion A st statement will foIl follow w in the future future I I should say a matter of or days As Mr Roosevelt was holding his conference approximately congressmen congressmen congressmen con con- gressmen were staging a protest meeting at which they went formally formally for for- mally mallyon on record against any nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide gasoline rati rationing f program nation nation-J Continued d on P Pace fe tUX Ox I Column Five 1100 Congressmen Seek to Forestall Ratio Rationing ing 1100 Of Gasoline Until House Receives Facts I Continued from P Page One until congress is fully informed of ot the facts Called together by Representative tive D D. D Nev the group voted unanimously to appoint appoint appoint ap ap- ap- ap point a man five-man committee to confer with Price Administrator Leon Henderson W P B officials and the White House to make sure that unnecessary rationing is not thrust upon the nation Congressmen Absent As the congressmen were staging staging staging stag stag- ing their protest meeting Mr Roosevelt convened his conference without a single legislative leader Invited to it Meeting with the chief executive were Henderson Secretary of Commerce Jones Oil Coordinator Ickes W P B Chief Donald Nelson Budget Director Harold Smith Transportation Director Director Director Di Di- rector Joseph B. B Eastman Wayne Coy executive director of the office office office of of- fice of ot emergency y management Archibald MacLeish director of the office of f facts and figures Arthur Arthur Arthur Ar Ar- thur Newhall rubber czar and Joel Dean an assistant to Hender Hender- son The meeting held by the he congressmen congressmen congressmen con con- gressmen was marked b by angry attacks on officials of the executive executive executive tive branch Hendersons Henderson's rationing decisions both with regard to sugar and gasoline were repeatedly attacked despite efforts of a few to point out that the decision to ration rests in Donald Nelson W P B I chief rather than Henderson Asks for Facts One congressman declared that It t was his understanding that the decision to ration gasoline on a national scale rested with with the president and might be made Fri Fri- day Representative Voorhis D D. Cal Ca declared that congress should attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to get all the facts on the situation including a comprehensive sive report of the rubber shortage and what can be done to alleviate alleviate alleviate alle alle- it A member of a rubber investigating investigating invest invest- gating subcommittee of the house Interstate commerce committee interrupted to observe that apparently apparently apparently ap there is no one in the United States who knows what the rubber sit situation atlon really is He said his committee had been investigating the rubber shortage I situation and the possibility for synthetic rubber and had received nothing but a mass of conflicting statements Synthetic Rubber I The congressman said he had been informed that no work had yet been begun on construction of synthetic rubber plants because the administration does not know whether plants can make synthetic rubber in a practical way Because the presidents president's press conference preceded the gas and tire meeting Mr Roosevelt declined declined declined de de- to comment on the course that will be taken Asked whether he thought a wide nation-wide collection of scrap rubber rubber rubber rub rub- ber is desirable the president said that was one of the points to be threshed out He added that he thought a lot of scrap rubber was lying around the c country that had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been collected Although no members of congress congress congress con con- gress were included in Fridays Friday's conference the president said he expected to discuss the problem of gasoline rationing with leaders from Capitol hill at a later date Public Hearing Meanwhile Nelson said that a public hearing will be held on the controversial issue of national gasoline gasoline gasoline gas gas- oline rationing All indications were however that the meeting would come too toolate toolate toolate late to fully assuage the bitter hostility of congressmen from oil- oil producing areas who have termed the proposal nonsense and demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de a voluntary program of conserving automobile tires Ures It was expected that a final verdict on the issue would be reached at President Roosevelt's weekly cabinet session this afternoon after after- noon Nelson said no details on the public hearing had been settled |