Sunday, April 13, 2008

SAVE ON RUBBER --ZAP THE JAP





Go back in time to 1942

The city of Thief River Falls hired a full time clerk to take care of county tire rationing. Her name was Barbara Votava and she would be working from 9-12 and 1-6, M-F and from 8-12 on Saturday.

Now, she was the clerk, not to be confused with the board which actually met each Friday and looked over the applications for the week and decided who would receive certificates for tires and tubes.

The quota for April of 1942 was as follows:

Eight tires and eight tubes; issued for light trucks and cars.

Additionally, For heavy trucks and buses, the allotment was 35 tires and 29 tubes and 29 retreads or recapped tires.

Because of the rationing, tractor tires and tubes were chargeable under the truck tire quota.

Certificates for the month of March were issued as follows:

HWMehrekens, one tire
OB Storien, one tube
Theodore Beulke, one tire, one tube
Mike Rendal, from Trail, two tires and one tube.

Heavy trucks and buses:
Arnt Wedul of Hazel, three tires and three tubes
AJ Borry, four tires and four tubes
O Sabo of Goodridge, one and one
LB Hartz, five tires and one tube
Bridgeman Creameries, one and one
Melvin Kolstrand of Goodridge, one tire.
Thief River Falls Seed House, two tires

The rest of the tires were certificates for retreating tires or obsolete tires. Old Trunks does not know what the term obsolete tires is.



People got into the act by donating old garden hoses.


Shoe repairman donated old heels and soles.


People with rubber mats in their car trunks were asked to donate them.

The Boy Scouts in Ohio discovered a “rubber mine” at the gravel pit.


The Scouts assisted in removing rubber heels from shoes donated to Goodwill Industries. These were, of course, shoes that could not be used by another person. This was the era when people wore their shoes out, often times lining the soles with newspaper to salvage them for even more wearings.


In an effort to do everything possible to help in the war effort, one lady trained her dog to dig up and bring home nothing but scrap rubber, all of which she was adding to the collection.


This was the era of our parents. We know they where cajoled into giving up all the extra tires except one. What we don't know, is how many where stored in trunks and locked sheds and garages.


PEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL RUBBER!


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