The daily banner., 1917-07-24
ASK AUTO OWNERS TO
CONSERVE GASOLINE
President of Standard Oil Company
Says Abnormal Condition Con-
fronts Nation-GaSoline Must be

Washington. July pa. c. Bed
ford, president of the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey, as chairman
of the committee on petroleum OF
the advisory commission OF the
Council of National Defense, author
ICES the following statement on be-
half of the petroleum committee:
In view of the abnormal conditions
confronting the nation by reason OF
the war it is peculiarly important
that the country should understand
the serious situation now prevailing
in the petroleum industry.
This country is producing crude oil
at the rate of about 300, 900 bar
rels a year. but it is using it at the
rate of 335, 100000 barrels a year.
The amount of crude oil in storage.
all grades, May l, 1917, was 165,-
6S8.797 barrels. The country is ABB
sorbing the entire current production
and drawing very rapidly upon its re-
serve supplies.
The rapid development of the au-
tomobile is largely responsible Tor
present conditions. In 1910 there
were 100000 automobiles in use IN
| the United States; in 1916 the num-
Der was 1850, 900. Today there are
more than 100000 cars, demaind-
ing over 20,000,000 barrels of gaso-
line a year. Other uses OF gasoline
and oil are expanding upon an enor-
nous scale.
The demand for oil products Is
greater than the supply of crude Oil.
Because of the demand the price OF
crude has risen, thus stimulating
more and more producers to drill
new wells. Though this drilling has
been going on with great aggressive
ness-becauSe the cost of drilling is
much greater than in the past and
the total successes fewer than ever
the returns from such efforts are
not as satisfactory as they were a
year ago. In the first three months
of this year t 4,701 wells were com
pleted, yielding an initial production
per day of 344,S76 barrels. In 191 5
III new wells yielded 439.010 bar
relS.
In other words, though there have
been almost three times as many new
wells drilled in 1917 as in 1915, the
initial production is considerably less
than in 1915. The drilling of wells
is still going on, but thus far there
| has been no increase in production
over last year or the year before.
The meaning of the foregoing Is
this: If our government Is 20 have
the petroleum it will need to prose
cute the war successfully and supply
all necessities directly growing out
of the war, two steps Will have to be
taken, namely:
First-Tne public Will have to
economic in the use of gasoline.
Sufficient gasoline should be avail
able to provide for all the normal
uses Of automobiles. But pleasure
riding should be Curtailed People
should look upon their automobiles
as necessities to be used only when
needed Not gallon OF gasoline
should be used in the present emer-
gency except for some useful end.
Two-Every oil producer in the
country should be encouraged as a
patriotic effort to secure the utmost
possible output of crude oil. The
present expense of drilling new wells
is very great and increasing, and the
results are often 2ing. But
there is oil to be had if producers IN
the oil business will redouble their
efforts to get it out of the ground.
| have the utmost confidence in
the spirit with which the government
will meet this problem in the matter