El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-11
BRITISH MOTORISTS EXPERIMENT
WITH KEROSENE AS MOTOR FUEL
Present Price of Sixty Cents Per Gallon Practically
Prohibits General Use of Gasoline; Motor Boats Are
Now Using Kerosene Motors and a More General
Use of This Type of Motor is Predicted.

S regards the present ascent Of
"A the price OF gasoline into the
II altitude Of r%arified ether it seems
that autoists in America have little to
complain Of as compared with various
countries abroad, as, for example, Eng
land.
The British Motor Ship and Motor
Boat in a recent issue. says. in part:
The question of he rapidly rising
prices Of fuel is perhaps a hackneyed
one, but IT appears TO occur with re-
newed force almost every month. and
the latest movement by which at any
rate one Of the leading distributing
firms has increased the price of gaso-
line TO so cents a gallon, cannot be
passed over without further
There is not the least suggestion that
this is the maximum price to which
gasoline viii rise, and just as some
months ago IL was predicted that 60
cents would soon be the normal figure,
we may now feel confident that ~
cents viii be reached in the near future.
Prices ProhIbitIve.
Even allowing for the rebate Of u
cents a gallon which can be obtained
by all users Of gasoline for motor
boats, its application for all ordinary
craft becomes practically prohibitiYe.
The fuel question IS really more i'm
Uol ant TO the marine mOLOrlSt than
TO the land motorist, because when a
motor boat engine is in operation il is
running at full power almost the en-
tire time, so that relatively the con-
sumption is high.
1T is necessary to look far ahead.
and although il may perhaps be
thought that the price Of gasoline will
drop Immediately the war is over we
have nc guarantee that this will be
the case, and must bear in mind that
Utmost the whole OF the gasoline sale
in this country is in the hands Of two
Firms who are enabled practically to
put what price they like upon IT,. It
is not sufficient therefore to say tina
we will bear this extra increase until
better times. as one Of the Unfortunate
results Of the war. for the indications
are that better times so far as gaso-
line is concerned, are not likely to
arrive for many years to come.
Suggests Cheaper Fuel.
even II this is a p%essimistic view
and nay not be entirely borne out by
facts it perhaps is the best one TO take
at the moment in order that we may
and arrange by the adoption Of cheap
er fuel OF by some other means to
guarantee that the operation Of motor
spirit engines Of all types shall not
be out Of the question.
There is another reason why the
very greatest interest should be taken
in the problem Of the gasoline supply
at the earliest moment and not left
open until after the war. for on the
authority Of one of the main distribut-
ing firms II is officially reported that
unless the cracking Of heavier oils
becomes a marked success on a large
scale il is believed that we shall be
face to face with a world shortage of
gasoline within a measurable distance
OF time.
Gasoline Shortage In England.
Snow. ever il this is an exaggerated
statement and is not entirely warrant
ed by facts. Il gives us at once the at
titude OF the oil distributing firms and
prepares as for high prices, whether
the supply be there or not. Moreover,
il we can prove that # is totally un-