Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-25
GASOLINE PRICES
NOT IMPORTANT
Temporary. Increase in Cost
More Than Offset by Lower
Price on Cars and Tires


excitement about the price of gaso-
line" says Horace T: Thomas, CHIEF en-
nor can | understand why some folks
who ought to know better. take the
matter so seriously.
est chance of '40-cent' gasoline in the
near future, or even a chance that the
present prices would continue, it would
be different. But anyone with even the
most superficial knowledge of condi-
ttons knows that is impossible
mo one worries about the price of
aluminum-though that is now twice
Its normal price. Nor brass, nor lead.
The price of steel is high-but no.
body supposes for a moment that those
prices will obtain after the European
War conditions and war prices is
the answer to the gasoline situation as
so far as New York is concerned,
that city is an exception to every rule
anyway At this time it is impossible
of II Is hauled from far distant 80 poi0ss nfoss
and the rest is shipped in by express
That That is the reason for New York's 80
cent per gallon, and. of course, it is
for the moment only.
o,,aMtit nWe are exporting tremendous
fact, since the Galician. Rumanian and
Russian fields are inactive. we are sup
plylng the world with gasoline as well
as All other petroleum products.
Il noticed the other day that twelve
big tank steamers had cleared on the
same day-the biggest days shipment
ship is in service The Standard oil
Company is rushing work on thirty of
Why. Just think Practically all the
cooking at the front is done with gaso-
trucks to be fed, as well as myriads of
greedy aeroplanes. Every automobile
in Europe is doing. double duty-and
little attention can be paid to economy
in that service. Tremendous quanti-
ties are destroyed, too, in storage places
Dy enemy aircraft and shells.
SurplV there's annie fpt fba
present shortage and for the present
prices. They are wartime conditions,
war. In fact, we are at the peak now
prices will go nc, higher and may be
expected to come down any day
incidentally, l have 1t on pretty good
authority that oil producers. like men
IN other lines. have been quick to take !
advantage of the situation and to tenn
porarily advance prices Just because |
they could. In fact, L am told that in |
of the. oil wells of this country are |
actually 'plugged'-they, are not pump |
STANDARD OH They are independent |
Tor the most part. Right now there |
are 100000 barrels of crude petroleum |
City, held for $500 per r." barrel ARE : and md
SSpecuiators are paying that and more |
"of course that co condition cannot
iast., IN tact there is evidence that ii /
is is s,,a about over: Producers have been
taxing Ihe long prices of late at a rate
that will surely readjust matters
but you say. could not the producers
those tactics? The answer r''a is that tIUi G5 in
normal peace times, Just as soon as
gasoline in this country approaches
Asiatic oils come In in foods. oil, like
water, soon finds its slevel-economicaliv
as well as physically.
Some will recall that Just before the
war broke out, people on the Pacific
coast became alarmed at the soaring
1nn n6 f1NsAxE IA
"A company was financed to bring ASH
auc gasoline .over-and Immediately
cheapest gasoline they had had for
years In short, just as soon as the
price OF gasoline reaches a certain
level It begins to flow back this way
and to stop competition before il gets
serious our disti1lers cut prices that
was the real reason for the various
price cuttings in the past: not the SIM
posed war between the trust and indie
pendents. only the war prevents that
=, There is an impression abroad that
the SUPPLY Will some time run out.
can't see it that way.
whereas formerly only Z per cent. of
tthe crude oil was available for gaso.
line to-day. because of improved meth I
ods of distilling and improvements of
carburetors and motors So per cent of !
all crude oil is rendered suitable for
by hundreds are being opened up every
day. and better processes of distfllation /
~ 'Np'l - ltll me tlat the need for "a I
kerosene carburetor has passed--that
they now know how, and it ONLY re- !
mains to install the equipment to break Il
up the Kerosene molecules into gaso-
line molecules. to render ali that is
low low SOLD as Kerosene, available for
power purposes
"Bunk--that stuff about a shortage
pure bunk! It's like the tales of eX-
Nh9austed IA coal fields and timber forests
shortage. Time was when those con-
lnoditleS We're wastefully used and sold l.
Tor Tor less than their value as compared
WIN other commodities-but that is
the whole story. -
Now let us consider it from another
anEIe-that of the automobile user. Hc
o.sd,. need feel no concern over the present mt
condition # he was satisfied with that /,
WINCH obtained, say, three years ago.
to-day than he got then. despite 'iti,e the
difference in price--even at wartime
it is fact, that he is getting ii ns''i more oTe
miles per gallon out of the iow-test L
1uel 1ust today than he got from his high
waste from evaporation. etc. '''
ir,nreasoIa Reason Of course Is the tremendous
MS to think nothing of 1t when our mo-
o lots SPIT and coughed and back fired
real sasoline m too cog Who Westherwth eTaT exHsr
enceS that trouble now? why cold /
MeaaIner an11 eS,is Is the same as warm to good
Il wonder how many buyers consider
another phase of the matter-that fbe
maker has, as matter of fact, donat
ed All the gasoline he can hope to use
IN the next five or six years when he
sold him the car? '
lust credit against the 'temporarfIv {
high cost of gasoline the 'permanentiv
lower cost of automobiles-and there
is large margin on the side of the
user ~ '''e
For example. four wears ago REQ
the Fifth sold for s1,S95 To-day the
price of that model is SS75 And il Is a
vastly better car. because of Improve
ments we have been able to work out
in the meantime.
Then, you'd have to pay s2.75O to
$4,000 for car the size of the New
REQ SiX-and every motorist knows IL
was not possible to produce present.
day. quality at any price then. To-day
that seven passenger car sells for ST.
250-five hundred dollars difference in
both cases. At twenty cents per gal
gasoline. which would men 1000 TO
10000 miles. Is gasoline high? And 'if
So. what matters IL when the cost per
mile is less than one-ffth OF one cent
per passenger?
"I might go on indefinitely showing
that the increased efficiency Of automo1 ,
biles and motor trucks. due TO i'm
provement in design and manufacture
has moro than kept pace with the price
of and more than offset the difference ,