Salt Lake Telegram | 1943-08-05 | Page 2 | Ickes Tells Congressmen Why Midwest due for Cut in Gas

Ic Ickes es Tells Congress Congressmen en Why P Midwest Due for or Cut in Gas t CHICAGO Aug fi lS UP pe P-pe- Pe Petroleum Administrator Harold L L. the oil t Ickes declared Thursday t transportation problem has been I about whipped and that fair and just handling of the oil supply problem would require diversion of ot petroleum products from the middie midI middie mid- mid t die west and southwest to the I east ut now that they can be moved Ickes set et forth his offices office's position position tion at a meeting of a group of ot congressmen called to discuss the t. t question of ot whether the midwest and southwest shall have hate less gas gas- oline The administration brought I f with him from Washington staff 1 members to answer queries from members of an unofficial midwest congressional rationing committee from 32 midwestern states Asserting his agency has seen no validity in any theory of ra rationing ra- ra simply to spread the misery misery misery mis mis- ery It Ickes summarized into four foul ponts pouts why gasoline consumption in the middle west and southwest will have to be curtailed One Om War One War War requirements for crude oil are and increasing increasing increasing ing steadily Two Crude Two Crude oil capacity capacity ca ca- ca- ca Is falling off oft throughout the middle w west st and is susceptible of ot ofa ofa ota a substantial increase only in west Texas and to a relatively minor degree in In parts of Louisiana and New Med Mexico o. o Three Three The The combination of the first two factors factors' means that we weare weare weare are now at the point In the United States where we cannot be sure sur that we will continue to have enough crude oil to meet the re- re o ot i war and essential lal civilian use unless petroleum products products' products products prod prod- are used conservatively Tour Gasoline Tour Four Gasoline production has fallen off oft and is continuing to fall falloff falloff off oft because more and more of each barrel of crude oil that used to go into automobile gasoline Isnow is isnow isnow now going into octane aviation gasoline toluene for TNT buta- buta dine for synthetic rubber distillate for heating purposes and for processing processing processing proc proc- essing in catalytic cracking plants that are making petroleum prod prod-