The Washington times., 1915-12-23
Increase In Motor Production.

The number of gasolene motorcars
built in this country in 1912 was ap-
proximately 3l2,no0 For the year end
ing June 90 1918, the number OF cars
! built vas 42OOoO, and in 1914 the rec
ord had risen to Jl5,De.
Fort the year ended juno JO 1913,
| the builders turned out LlO,ooO saso-
| lene driven cars which. added to those
already in use, made grand total OF
| 2,2l0,UN
! Experts in the automobile business
estimate that the number or cars IN
operation in 1916. outside OF iarrn
and that the quantity of Gasolene need
! ed to keep them going VIII be nearly
twenty million barrels fer The. year.
TO this must be added th" Increased
consumption on the farm. and by gas
engines. motorboats and in the trades.
! The aggregate, outside OF molorCarS
will not he less than ten million bar
/ rels, so that the total demand Tor tne
year promises to be in excess OF tnil ~
The total production OF crude petr"-
| lerm in the United states is no" nearly
three hundred million barrels year:
! About orc-third OF this yield, notahlE
certain types Of California and Texas
! crude. produce very little Sasolene.
Further, the production OF crude OIL IL
not on the increase.
! that which confronts the oil industry
at this time existed two years ago.
The price advanced for the same req :
son as now, increased demand WIN
shortage OF supply, but the slluaTIo,' TO-
then was relieved by two factors. one
was the invention OF new process
of distilling by DIR. Blu ton. a Stands "a
Oil chemist, and the other the suIo|n
addition to the crude oil supply by
the great Cushing pool in Oklahoma
which at it's height produced at the
rate OF 100000 barrels day.
Dr.. Burton's invention. known as
the "pressure still process. greatly
increased the amount or saso,ene
Welded It. The enormous new supply
OF crude petroleum, plus Dr. Burton
process for refining. brought the price
down and kept IT 1own so long as
nearly equal but with the almost
doubling in the number OF gasolent
motors and the falling off of the
Cushing field from 100000 barrels to
less than 100000 barrels day, the
demand Is again getting ahead OF the
supply.
Crude Oil Scars In Price.
Practically all refiners. even the
very largest, purchase most of thelI
crude oil, as the majority of oil we'll
: in all fields are owned by In Hyidua
producers. The unprecedented de
mand for crude has caused the price
to soar.
In August 1914, oklahoma Crud'
was quoted at 40 cents On DeCembe
IS It was sl.20.
PENNSYLVANIA crude in August 1914
Was sl.3. Now 1t is s2l5 and th'
rcflners say they expect TO pay more.
It Is customary at this time of thu
year and all through the winte
months for the big rchnerics to &C
cumulate stocks of gasoerc IN prem
arstion for the increased summer de
mand. Thus far this season no stock
have hcen laid in. as the compa ME
have been seeking to supply prcscn
; moods.
, The experts Of the various concern
are a unit in estimating that the sup
= ply in sight will not meet the deman
, inl916. This is based upon the eStimat
of 3o.nNO.Oc0 barrels being needed.
. Unless relief can he had etthe
=, through tho discovery OF new o
!, fields or still other processes to In
1 crease the gasolene WELD OF petroleum
or through some other development
= that cannot be foreseen now, the ind
e cations are that the price Of gasolen
will go much higher during the comm
year.
S No relief can he obtained fror
! Europe as the Russian and Roumana
fields are closed to the outside world.