CAR RENTALS CUT SHORT BY BAD WEATHER

All car rental in Harvard Square and most of Boston was stopped by suggestion of insurance companies early Saturday morning as a result of bad weather and driving conditions. Three accidents Friday night, one by an unnamed graduate student, in Wellesley, brought to a halt many weekend dates when car rental was stopped.

The damage on the crash in Wellesley was extensive, though the driver was not hurt. He swerved from the road to avoid another car, which in turn was skidding to a stop as a third car backed out of an icy driveway.

Nutter's System, one of the garages affected by the suggestion, had refused over ten people by three o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Dates with girls suffered a severe blow, according to telephone comments, because of the no-car ruling.

The order, which was merely a safety measure for garages, will remain in effect until driving conditions are better.

Tire Rationing No Problem

The two main garages which rent cars in the Square report that their tire situation is good, and that they will be able to rent cars for another year before tire rationing will hurt their business.

As far as possible government measures are concerned, the worst thing that could happen, according to W. F. Hooker, manager of Nutter's System, Inc., would be curtailment by government order of car operation on Sundays and at night. "That would be the end of that part of our business, he said.

Reporting no surprising decline in general business this year, the managers of both garages felt that there was a slight falling off, probably due in part to the extra work of the students.

The rental rates at Nutter's are up one cent a mile over last year, but the students accepted the rise without a murmur, said Hooker.

Summer School Will Help This Year

All stores in the Square expect to profit from the intensive summer program, and the car rental is expected to do as well as any business around the College.

According to both garages, Radcliffe accounts for only an occasional rental, "but that's in the spring when the girls get the urge . . ."