The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-07-02
WILL CUT GASOLINE.
United States to Reduce Price
With New Device.
Secretary Lane Says Rlttman Process
Will Be on a Commercial Working
Plane Very Soon-Benzol
Price to Be Less.

Washington.-Secr Lane Of the
department of the interior is trying to
preserve for the people of the United
States the processes devised by Dr..
Walter F. Rittman, chemical engineer
of the bureau of mines, to procure
gasoline and benzol at much lower
cost than that they are now obtained.
Excellent progress is being made
in the development of the Rittman
process" said Secretary Lane, "and
there is every reason to believe that
both the gasoline and the benzol proc
esses win be on a commercial work
ing plane within reasonably short
time. I am informed that the gaso-
line process is now ready for large
scale industrial applications and the
hope is expressed that the benzol proc
ess will be ready soon.
1.-THE benzol process is being devel-
oped in cooperation with the Aetna
Chemical company of New York,
which company has entered into an
agreement whereby all patentable
equipment, processes and ideas avail
able as a result of the cooperative
work will be turned over to the depart
ment to be dedicated to the public.
''The department stands ready and
is anxious to enter into similar agree
ments with any other companies in
the country that will agree to the
same terms-that all processes and
ideas patentable in the development
of either process shall be turned over
to the department for the use of the
public.
"The department is willing for all
who are DESTROYS of making use of
the processes to do so to the fullest
possible extent consistent with the
proper protection of the processes in
order that the public may derive the
greatest measure of benefit there
from. 1t looks as if it would be only
a short time before the complete me-
chanical equipment necessary for the
practice of the processes has been
worked out and the inventions COW
cred by patent applications.
"The department considers that all
those DESTROYS of employing the proc
esses should agree to contribute to
the public in the same manner that
Doctor Rittman has done with his
basic patents, all patentable ideas that
may be conceived as result Of the
employment of these processes.
This is the only condition that
the department imposes, and its rea-
sonableness will become apparent
when it is considered that Doctor Ritz
man has given to the public, through
the department, processes which con-
servatively might be worth millions
Of dollars were they controlled by
private industrial concern exclusively
for its selfish purposes.
"As soon as the department is as
sured that the publics interests are
properly safeguarded, full and COM
plete scientific paper describing the
processes will be issued. In the
meantime, the processes will be open
to anyone who wishes to develop them
under the conditions imposed.
AT the first public demonstration
Of the Rittman benzol and gasoline
processes, held March s, before the
representatives of the army and navy,
the General Chemical company, the
Aetna Chemical company, the Stand
ard Oil company Of Indiana, the Du
Point de Nemours Powder company
and some twenty or more representa-
tives of the National Petroleum as
sociation and other prominent REIN
ing interests throughout the eastern
part Of the United States, announce
ment was made that both processes
might be used by all interested per-
sons upon application to the depart
ment. At the same time, however,
because Of the desire to give the pub
lie the fullest possible benefit of the
Rittman processes, 1t was stated that
the use of the processes would be
coupled with the condition that the
person using the same would give to
the public the benefits of such ideas
along mechanical lines as they might
conceive during the employment Of
II