Word: rationalizing
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Fewer & fewer people asked why the U.S. had to ration gasoline, when it has plenty. Everyone knew by now that submarines had driven East Coast tankers into port, and that tankers had brought in 90% of the oil supply. The railroads were hauling valiantly, pipelines were slowly gurgling oil east at their three-mile-an-hour rate. But they brought east only 900,000 barrels of crude oil a day, when the daily need was some 1,265,000 barrels...
...makeshift plan was based on an estimated 401,000,000 gallons thought to be available until July 1-a supply sufficient to give everyone the basic "A" ration of three gallons per week until then, if too many did not ask for more. Too many apparently did. The meek, mild Milquetoasts who took the basic "A" cards totaled only 20% in some areas, less than 25% in the 17 States as a whole. (Leon Henderson had figured on 337%.) Some favorite chiseling dodges...
...talk is of a cut to 50%. Some alarmists said the Govern-ment would take over the whole business-buying, selling and distributing. OPA big shots wondered how to ration coffee, tentatively planned to use the sugar cards, already distributed. But U.S. citizens were worried most of all-with gin, Coca-Cola, tea and coffee all scarce or near-scarce, the future had a milk & water look...
...Judy, aged 2, and Steve, aged 1, children the Harold Colverts of Oklahoma City, ate the family's ration coupons...
This week 10,000,000 Eastern Seaboard motorists lined up to get gasoline-ration books and the terrible truth. Things were not just as bad as they looked; they were worse. A third of the 10,000,000, who did not need their cars for business or to get to work, got "A" cards: three gallons a week. The rest got a little more. Even these rations were good only until July 1; then the amounts may be revised...