El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-08
AUTO FUEL STILL
RISING IN PRICE
Soaring Price Of Auto Fuel
= Is Traced to Big Waste
of Natural Resources

In spite Of plans and undoubted in
tentions to build more automobiles in
the present year than ever before, it
IS not denied that the motor industry,
as wen as the motor car owner. faces
a most serious problem and possible
setback in the soaring price Of gaso-
line It is predicted in the East that
''gas" will advance further in the sum-
mer.
What this means to the pleasure car
maker and owner, as well as to those
interested from any viewpoint in motor
trucks may readily be appreciated.
What is not so generally understood.
however, is the enormous waste OF
natural resources which the country
suffers IN the failure to use a wider
range of the petroleum products as
Iuel for internal combustion engines.
The figures are startling.
Last year 2z0, 0OO, 900 barrels of crude
oil were produced in this country. From
Il was produced roughly 1O600 600
barrels of motor gasoline. Less than
> per cent of the total crude oil was,
therefore. available for motor pur-
poses After deducting One-half of the
total supply of crude oil for all other
purposes, including fuel oils. lubricat-
Ing oils, and residum, about ten and
10000 600 barrels. would remain
which could be used in internal COM
Dustion engines, providing the proper
carDuretor. or instrument for feeding il
were devised
Means Big Loss,
This would mean an addition to the
motor tuel supply of 1000, 600 gal
Ions, or an addition to the power supply
OF the country Of some $4,000, 600, 900
horsepower hours, annually. The auto
I I9l'1l INDUSTRY, now 50 jeopardized by
the question Of fuel shortage and price.
could be carried to nearly IL times its
present extent
In terms of money. the failure to
utilize as motor fuel the 100. 100000
barrels OF crude oil. much of which IS
now sold at cents a gallon and less,
means an annual loss to the oil pro-
ducers, at the present price Of gasO-
line of s5O0,e0O,00O. Even if the throw
ing on the market of this huge supply
Of fuel brought down the price per
gallon TO, say, cents, which was the.
gasoline price year ago, the differ
cents now obtained for the material {
not utilized would be about S24GOOU'-
600 annually.
The enormous quantities of fuel /
which would be furnished by the petro- |
leum bases if those oils up to. say 600 4
degrees Fahrenheit. boiling point, could /
be utilized. are thus apparent EN- I
perts are not wanting. who assert con-
verSeIy. that the petroleum bases are |
at present the cheapest cource OF motor 4
fuel
Their argument runs somewhat as [
follows The earth is now practically /
an ash pile in the sense that little re- [
mains uncombined which is Of heat /
or power giving nature
What Is Needed.
The products or compounds available /
for use i'm an internal combustion en-
CINE must be those which VIII produce [
high temperature WheH combined with
the oxygen of the atmosphere. Little I
remains of the earth's total bulk which !
is not already combined and burned
mp. Thus the free hydrogen is com .
bined with sea water. forming the
oceans
The few metals. such as gold. COP
per, silver and iron, not already in