Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-23
MUST STOP use OF AUTOS
FOR PLEASURE RIDING
President Of Standard Oil Company
Warns OF Necessity Of Economy
In Use of Gasoline.
TO MEET GOVERNMENT NEEDS
Also Declares That Every Producer
Should Be Encouraged as Patriotic
Effort to Secure Utmost Possible
Output.
Especial to The rimee-p,spatch.1

F" aor1iNN ION. July 2Z.-"arninS
was given to-day by President A. c.
Bedford. OF the Standard Oil Company,
and chairman OF the committee on pc
troleum OF the National Defense coun-
ell. that all pleasure motoring must be
cut out. IL the supply Of gasoline in
this country during the war meets the
demands OF the government and that
Of business.
Not only this. burt every oil producer
in the United States must prepare to
increase his output to the utmost ca
pacity, according to Mr.. Bedford In
this connection he shows that the coun-
try Is producing crude oil at the rate
OF 3OO,ooo.o00 barrels a year. but is
using 1t at the rate of 335. 600, 900 bar
rels year. The amount in storage
May /. was le5.6Ss,7e7 barrels. he said
which reserve Is being drawn upon
rapidly.
The rapid development OF the au-
temobile," said Mr.. Bedford. lis large
iy responsible for present conditions
In 1910 there were 100000 automobiles
In use in the United States; in 1916
the number was 2.350.0o0. To-day
there arc more than 100000 cars. de-
manding over 100000 barrels OF
gasoline year. Other uses Of gaso-
line and oil are expanding upon an
enormous scale.
The demands for oil products are
| greater than the supply Of crude OIL
Because OF the demand. the price Of
| crude oil has risen. thus stimulating
! more and more producers to drill new
wells. Though this drilling has been
going on with great aggressiveness,
| 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 satisfac-
! tory as they were a year ago. In the
first three months Of this year 4,7o1
wells were completed. yielding an ini-
tial production per day OF 344,ST6 bar
rels. In 1915. LII new wells yielded
| 43e.o10 barrels.
I'm 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: II our government is to have the
petroleum 1t will need to prosecute the
war successfully. and supply all neces-
stiles directly growing out Of the war,
two steps will have to be taken.
namely:
Il. The public will have to econo-
mize in the use of gasoline. Sufficient
gasoline should be available to pro-
vide for all the normal uses Of auto
mobiles. But pleasure riding should
be curtailed. People should look upon
their automobiles as necessities, to be
used only when needed. Not a gallon
Of gasoline should be used in the pres
ent emergency except for some useful
end.
~. Every oil producer In the country
| should be encouraged as a patriotic
EFFORT TO secure the utmost possible
output of crude oil. The present ex-
penses Of drilling wells is very great
and increasing. and the results are
often discouraging. But there Is oil
to be had II producers In the oil bust
ness will redouble their efforts to get
II out Of the ground.
I have the utmost confidence in the
spirit with which the government will
meet this problem in the matter OF
price. which is now being investigated
by the Federal Trades Commission
with proper economy on the part of
the public and with sufficient co-opera-
ton and effort on the part of the oil
producers, there should be ample oil
to supply the needs Of our governm ent,
OF our allies. Of industry in this coun-
try and for domestic use.