The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-10-15
GASOLINE WAR At BOISE
ENDS IN BOOSTING
THE PRICE
SOLD AS LOW AS IA CENTS BUT
THE PRICE HAS NOW
JUMPED TO TWENTY
TWO.
1t is Intimated That all Dealers Have
Entered Into a Combine and That
the Standard Oil Company Holds
the Club Hand Over the Local
Dealers.

The gasoline war is over at Boise
and that commodity is now selling at
p cents in the capital city, an increase
of two cents over the price demanded
before the war started. The price has
been down to Ia cents.
The war had local origin. One en-
terprising dealer discovered that he
could lay the commodity down in
Boise from Oklahoma for IL cents,
whereas the Standard Oil people had
been charging all dealers l8 cents.
This dealer, Mr.. Folts, was compelled
to purchase in car load lots, the gaso-
line being delivered in tank cars.
There was great CONSERVATION among
the other dealers when Folts put the
the price of gasoline down to IS cents,
the prevailing price at the time being
20 cents. Folts was making a profit
of 3 cents, while the other dealers
were losing 3 cents per gallon. The
field combined against Folts and con-
spired to put him out of business or
bring him to terms The Public Uti-
lities Commission was appealed to,
but of course that body could offer no
relief as Folts har not conspired with
any body to secure a monopoly of
the business. In the mean time Folts
was doing an amazing business. There
was a continual line of autos patron
izing his garage The field became
desperate. The Standard Oil people
were appealed to, but were slow to
come 10 the rescue. The field hit up
on plan to come back at Folts, how
ever, for it was ascertained that the
tank car company would not permit
their cars to stand idle, and Folts
could retain the service only upon
condition that would unload" without
delay. The field saw that they could
put Folts in a hole if they could cause
delay in the sale of the car of gaso-
line. They made it point to find out
when the next car of cheap gasoline
would pass Pocatello, and the morn
ing that it arrived in Boise every gar
age in the city except Folts' was sell
ing gasoline at ID cents. 1t turned
the trick. Folts was long time in un-
loading a tank car and the purchase
OF l2-cent gasoline was at an end. But
it was an expensive victory for the
feld-buying gasoline for l8 cents and
selling it for IA. One dealer admitted
that he lost $500 in a single week
This would not do, so the Standard
Oil company was appealed to, and re-
sponded. They reduced the price to
the dealer in Boise to ID cents, and
Folts found himself laborinP at a dis
advantage, or a loss, for he had to sell
Standard Oil gasoline on the same
basis as the others, or the Oklahoma
product at loss, the price having
been raised on account of his inability
to handle car load lots. The newt
able result followed-he capitulated.
/ STAa he cd
from 10 cents to p. The extra two
cents is presumed to be a profit nee
essary to reimburse the dealers who
sold at a loss to bring Folts to terms.
The Standard Oil people have be-
come enthused over the situation too,
and they have added a cent to their
price, making it now cost the dealer
10 cents.
1t looks as though Boise now had a
genuine gasoline trust and if the anti
trust laws of the state are of any
merit they might be applied in that
city.
1t is a strange situation of business
that permits of a condition where gas
oline can be laid down in Idaho for II
cents and it retails for p. A promin-
ent garage man was asked why he
did not build storage tank of suffi-
cient dimensions to purchase his gaso-
line in tank cars, and take advantage
of the low price at which this would
enable him to purchase. His reply
was that if he should build such a
plant it would cost him $500 and the
only result would be that he would
drive each of shis competitors to dc
the same thing, and then when they
had all incurred this expense they
would find the Standard Oil company
or some other gasoline company es
tablishing service stations all over the
city and country retailing the pro
duct, and for that reason the Storage
proposition was not a safe invest
ment