The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-27
PRICE OF GASOLINE
JUMPS 50 PER CENT
Standard Oil Company Takes In
creased Toll From the Own
ers of Automobiles.

The pleasures of autom billing are
of the pretty red runabout no longer
dashes over the rne government,
boulevards and country roads with
the oldtime abandon, wearing the old
time care-rree expression upon his
countenance, and the man who has
mortgaged his little suburban home In
order to possess one OF the much
coveted JOY carts now flnds extra care
heaped upon his breast Verify, the
troubles OF the autoists are beginning
to materialixe. And the cause OF il
line. the prize element in the motive
power OF the festive machines. The
smile is now ON the race or the oil
merchant.
One cent a mile used to be the cost
OF operatin gan automobile. but now
II Is nearly liz cents a mile. Some
difference. when long distance rnns
and cross-country touring are taken
into consideration.
Back in the good old days of the
incipiency OF automobile travel and
gadahouting 1t was found that ono
gallon of gasoline would enable the
car to run along right merrily for the
distance of one mile-l.000 Roman
PAGES and the cost IA gallon OF
the life-giping stun was at that time
10 cents, thus giving the old slogan of
Il cent mile
Now IT Is different.
The price of gasoline has risen
steadily from the above quoted price
to the present cost OF IL cents q gal
lon, aiding with each successive rise
a new lead on tn eowner of the JOY
Gus car. AS the price of gasoline has
risen, the Joy to be derived from the
pleasures of automobiiing have cor
respondingly fallen. much after the
manner of scale balance. Many of
the owners of automobiles, especially
those who have undergone certain
sacrifices and hardships to secure
their machines, are depressed to the
falling or point, not finding the same
exhilaration In the chug- chug of the
exhaust and the scent of the burnt
oil as they fly about before the en-
vious eyes OF their neighbors. The
fiuctuation in the price OF the oil
which makes the auto go is said to
be the main cause for the diminution
In the spirit OF the autoist.
Why gasoline has taken such a
gradual rise Is not known, unless II
is on account OF the highly increased
demands which have been made for
1t since automobiles became so popu-
lar. but 1t Is greatly suspected by
some that the oil merchants are mere
| ly taking advantage of the times to
, make fortunes out OF business The
oil men claim they are merely In
creasing the prices to keep In step
with the increase in demand and In
crease In the cost OF manufacturing
the fasoiine.
However the case may be. the auto
mobile owners are getting anxious
about the cost OF operating their ma
chimes and are taking care to not
overwork their cars and burn up too
much Of the precious liquid. The cost
OF driving ten miles has leaped from
10 cents to ! scents, In other words,
In driving from this city to Benbrook.
distance of about twelve miles. the
cost for the round trip In gasoline
alone is about 40 cents. 1t can he
seen at once that when long tours
are made from one city to another. as
from Fort Worth to Galveston. the ex-
penditure for the motive ffuid cuts
some Ice In the cost of the trip. The
longer the trip the more noticeable
becomes the change in price.