The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-08
High Tax Report Untrue.

| mors of tax on gasoline which were
! circulated two weeks ago, gives Off
| cial denial of all of them. 1t says:
Reports that a high tax on gaso
| line used for passenger cars and
motor trucks will be placed in effect
| in July or August are untrue. These
reports published by papers through
out the country are the result OF
speech made before committee ad'
vocating such a tax. No bill has
| been prepared for it.
reports that the motor car IN,
dustry has not been curtailed but will
be reduced to 25 per cent OF the fuel
allowance of last year are untrue
The fuel administration is seriously
studying the conservation of fuel, but
attempting to save all industries from
curtailment insofar as that is pos
sible."
Nothing to Stories.
1--WE are constantly hearing stories
of shortage of gasoline" said l.. c.
Marie, manager for J. W. Leavitt &
Co., "and stories of tax to be put on
the use of gas. There is nothing to
them.
Lets get the gas out of our sys.
tenn once and for keeps. Today the
refners of this country are produc,
! ing gasoline at the rate of well over
eight and one-half million gallons
per day. This is more than 1000, 600
gallons a day in excess of the 1916
production.
To-day the refners Of the country
have 526,3S2,3S5 gallons of gasoline
in storage. Last December the
amount in storage was 4L2,526, 1888
gallons. The stock has increased
114,125,553 gallon thus far this year.
In short, we are producing far more
than we are using up.
Production Enormous.
"Crude oil is the base from which
gasoline is produced. During the
month Of March, which is tn elatest
month for which United States gov
eminent figures are available, there
were taken from the earth 26,2 ,662
barrels. Allowing fifty gallons to the
barrel, this is 1911 ,9S3, 100 gallons.
To get this down to figures that we
can grasp, let us say that during
March the refiners took an average
of 1882, sos gallons a day out of the
ground. This is 100000 gallons per
day more than was produced in March,
last year.
"The production Of crude oil will
go on increasing Production of oil
has been classed by tine war indus
tries board as highly essential to the
governments program for the prose-
cution Of the war. Oil is on the pre-
ferred list.
'Furtherm the government is to
day short of fuel oil. This is crude
oil after the lighter disti1lates have
been taken out, such as gasoline,
kerosene. etc In order to produce
the required quantity Of fuel oil. the
refiners must produce gasoline. They
must go on producing it in ever in
creasing quantities.
But be Conservative.
"As for the tax-such legislation
will never be enacted. Any prohf-
bition tax on gasoline would defeat
its own object It would curtail the
use Of gasoline and great stocks would
pile up Just as great stocks OF kero-
sene piled up a few years ago. Don't
forget that the United States navy and
the navies of our allies must have
fuel oil And you can't make fuel oil
without making gasoline.
But this is no time to waste gas
oline. This is the time when every
thing must be conserved. Dealers
must educate owners to the neces-
sity of eliminating waste-to the need
OF using every drop. XIII all idle en-
gines. There is no shortage now, but
don't LET us waste the fuel we have