Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-03-12
SOARING PRICES OF GASOLINE
Possible Solution Of Fuel Problem
in Development Of Benzol
or Alcohol.
SQUEEZE ON AUTO OWNERS

BY far the greatest problem that has 1
confronted the automobile owner since I
the advent or the motor vehicle is tho /
present soaring prices Of gasollne-the /
necessary fuel for the into,naI combus- |
ton engine For the last six months or
more the price OF gasoline has been ad.
vancing with jumps OF about 1 cent
gallon, and even was advanced a cent I
two days ago. With gasoline now regis (
tering at the average OF Is cents a gallon /
In the wholesale markets OF the coun- !
try. and reports from the oil-producing /
companies and others who have investi- |
gated the situation indicating fur her !
rises. the 10000 automobile owners N
the United states have good reason TO /
be thoughtful over the cost of operating !
their care this summer.
At present gasoline Is selling for from
q 20 % cents q gallon to the consumer
in Boston. and the garage men have is
sued a warning that the hgh-water re-
tail market may be 30 cents before long. !
BY summer It Is expected that It will
cost the average car owner 81 for his
l50-mile run on a Sunday -gnsoline, u Il
predicted. will then be - cents a gallon. J
In April. 1915. the wholesale price OF gaso-
line averaged "a cents q gallon through
out the country. while at the begin
ming OF the present month It had adj
vanced to q cents Retail prices range
from 2 TO cents a gallon over those
quoted by the wholesalers. An analysis
Of the gasoline situation and review
OF the efforts made at producing a fuel
that can be substituted for this product
Of petroleum in the operation OF motor
vehicles has been prepared by the Horgo
less Age.
THAT the question OF obtaining an ade-
auate supply Of fuel at reasonable price
Is a matter which Is receiving the Sc
rious attention Of the motorist-the man
who pays the piper, but, in this case
does not call the tune-is unquestloned,"
says this automobile trade magazine. 1t
should be added that somo Of the best
brains In the country are buSily engaged
in trying to solve the problem presented
By this ever rapidly increasing number OF
automobiles in the United states and the
growing difficulty. as evidenced by the
doubling of gasoline prices. Of furnish
ing fuel to run them
Available supply.
Although there are nS exact figures
showing actual gasoline consumption. an
indication OF the quantity available for
domestic use may be obtained by taking
the total production and deducting the
exports. and on this basis the following
calculations, which are based on official
figures, will help the gasoline user 70
realize just where he stands. The guam
titles are given in barrels OF forty-two
gallons.
I'm round figures there are 100000 au-
tomohiles In use at present In the United
states. and as the total domestic produc-
ton Of gasoline. less the quantity ex-
ported, was 36i00,Ooo barrels In 1915,
simple calculation gives the number OF
gallons available for each car as APP
proximately 5Ss-perhaps enough for 900
miles, perhaps not. Fifteen months ago
there VAS a reserve stock Of about 2.oo0.-
900 barrels OF gasoline. and three months
ago this had been exhausted, so that
there Is no reserve TO draw upon. In
1914 the production equaiIed go gallons
per car IN active service and there was a
considerable reserve. II In estimated
that by the end OF the present year
there will be over 100000 cars In opera
ton. and at the end OF 1917 II would
seem reasonable 10 expect the addition
OF another million. hasing tho figures
on the estimated automobile factory pro-
ducsion. less exports.
THE foregoing calculations take ac-
count only Of gasoline in relation e
automobiles, but az they ignore the 500
900 motor boats at present In service and
also the 5000 farm tractors operatins
IN different agricultural districts. q
glance will show that the motorist 10 In
an even more desperate position thar
would seem TO be the case TO the casua
- ~ 81
stationary internal combustion engines
and general industrial and household
uses are taken into consideration. II 4
obviously time 10 stir things UP bi
and look for q way out Of these rapid,
accommodating fuel troubles. The frs
thought 10. can the production Of gaso
line be materially increased either b
the development OF new oil fielas or b.
the use OF improved methods Of distiila
tion2
CheerIess Prospects.
1T seems that the production IN tn
known fields OF Texas. Oklahoma an
Kansas II limited because of deticiencie
IN public land laws. and the secretary G
tho interior estimates that approximate
ed0.ooooo0 barrels of oil are under land
now in public ownership and barred froi
the active prospector. In addition. theI
are developed fields In several district
notably under government lands
Alaska. Apart from these the productio
Of crude would seem to be near its max
mum. and the motoTist may look In va
for help. more particularly as the supp
OF some Of the crudes producing a larl
proportion OF gasoline are failing notab
the Cushing pool OF Oklahoma. which d
clined from 10000 barrels IN April. lsi
TO less than one-third Of the quantity
January last.
Kerosene has been suggested time al
again as the solution OF the trouble. b
It's supporters seem 10 have overlook
the fact that kerosene and gasoline cor
/. from the same base. and In effect n I
present output OF gasoline Is increased
improved processes there will be propC
tionaily less kerosene OF suitable era
available. Again and again attempts hs
been made TO standardize the use OF kei
sene In automobiles. but so far withe
much success as. although II Is Gu
possible to yaporize Il In espeela
adaped carburotors. RECOMMENDATION Is q