The Washington herald., 1917-10-21

and considerable discretion in the
matter of their disbursement.
The question of labor in the rub
Der plants, too, has much to do with
rubber's output. In many manufac-
turing centers it has been increas-
ingly difficult to obtain a sufficient
amount of labor to fully operate
plants. As a result, wages have ad-
vanced enormously and efficiency has
decreased almost correspondingly.
Oil Big Question.
In the matter of oil. the motorist
need have no fear-neither now nor in
the immediate future. The far future
Ia year hence) must look to itself.
This assertion is based on a SYM
postum OF the opinions of some twenty
"oil authorities" including Col. Weller
and T. ]. Williams, of the Standard
| OIL, gathered for Motor Life. The
price Of gasoline is determined blythe
law of supply and demand. In this
matter so important to all Of US. the
Standard Oil is maintaining a vast
| calm. The oil industry of the United
States has shown less disturbance
than even optimists dared hope. There
has been practically no reaction fol-
I NA ONA Win
though. OF course. the effect of the
war declaration had been discounte d
months in advance
From statistics recently published
by the Wall Street Journal we learn
that for some months now oil has
been consumed 100000 barrels a
month faster than it has been pro-
duced in the West-continent fields. To
offset this 1t Is now planned to in
! crease production in the mid-conti-
nent, gulf and Eastern fields. Mean
while, higher prices for crude and re-
fined oils must obtain for a little
while. An "oil famine" however, Is
unthinkable in view of the fact that
recent inventories place the amount OF
stored" oil in the United States al
the present time at 1s9. .7s6, 600 barrels.
Not to Commander Pleasure Cars
We have the governments assurance
that there is little likelihood that
pleasure cars will ever be comman-
deered. Conditions here are vastly
/ different from those abroad and such
a step is unnecessary. 1t is possible,
however, that the government may
find is advisable to take over some
of the automobile manufacturing
plants which have been placed at its
disposal This would mean that the
number of pleasure cars available
/ would be curtailed.
4 Americans will continue to purchase
and operate automobiles in great num-
bers because the motor car has be-
come too great a factor in our life to
be regarded as other than a perma-
nent fixture. 1t is too firmly estab-
hshed for any other reasonable con-
clusion- The practice of economy to-
| day is one OF the surest ways of put
ting of the privations of tomorrow.
We have seen that there is no need of
locking the garage door on the pleas
ure car and putting the key on the
shelf. In fact the; practical value of
the pleasure car is so great as to maze
such a step harmful. The pleasure car
is perhaps worngly named: actually
1t has an economic value which makes
pleasure a matter of secondary I'M.
pcrtance. There is no reason why We
should not buy motor cars; there is nc
| reason why we should not operate
them; but we should operate them eff.
ficiently and economically. The
motorist should go over his car care.
fully to make sure it is in the best
Of condition.