Transcription
"Ensign B.P.Cone,
C/o U.S.S. "Bibb",
C/o Postmaster,
New York, N.Y.
Dear Pete:
Your letter of July 30th received yesterday. I don't know where you are but your letter got here quickly via air mail. You said you wanted some news, so I will write you some and mother will tell what I have omitted.
Gas rationing is only in the east in 17 states. Anyone with an automobile gets four gallons a week. I receive more than that because of the distance from home. Moreover, since we are growing 50 acres of beans for the government at Horse Point, they gave me enough gas to go down there twice a month. I went once on the bus and came back on the bus. Sometimes I go with Uncle Milton, or with anyone who is going. Of course, I tale people with me. The people in the east who are being gas rationed think it should apply throughout the United States in order to save rubber tires. Rubber is needed as badly as gasoline from what we read in the paper.
Sugar is rationed, but there appears to be plenty of sugar. However, a big stock is trying to be built up in this country for a "rainy day." Just the same, people get all the sugar they need for canning and preserving.
You, of course, were here when the sale of automobiles was held up. However, our Company needed a car and we got one all right. We wanted to buy a big truck tractor. The Board told us to have the old one repaired which we did. We have a big International that has been 125,000 miles. A Mack that has been 80, a Chevrolet that has been 30, and James Crittenden's truck that he used, which belonged to us, had been about 60. We sold the one James drove because we didn't have enough hauling going both ways. There is a great deal of common sense in economy in some of the new rulings. For an example, we are hauling rayon from Greensboro, N.C. for parachutes, but we had no load going down there. Before the war we could not haul for anyone else. Now we can "lease" our tractor and trailer going down to Greensboro and take 24,000 lbs. of canned goods for Taylor & Sledd. Next week we will lease Taylor & Sledd's truck and carry canned goods and bring back a load of rayon. This will get one load to us "free."
The only thing we are manufacturing now except defense materials, is hassox. We are trying to develop a wood awning frame so we can sell awnings next spring - of course, provided we can get the cotton cloth striped. Of course, our work in the factory has changed. We are filling our office with girls. The boys in the office who don't have dependents are mostly gone or going. Those whose wives are working are being put in Class 1-A and will soon be gone.
We are having a world of rain this week and last week. Up until a week ago everything was dry at Horse Point. I hope it has stopped raining as we had some real gully-washers and one terrible storm. I was at Horse Point and we had a terrific storm and hail. I was afraid the cover would blow off the boat so I put on my bathing suit and went out in the hail and liked to have gotten pelleted to death. Then I nearly froze to death. I hope you will be home soon. Love from us all,Language
English