New-York tribune., 1920-06-27
Official Reports. .... ].
Disrupt Fear of.
Gasoline Shortage
Output Exceeds Consump-
ton by 100000 Gal
Ions in Month; Reserve
Big; New Sources Found

Oountefacting some ratha { startling
reports Of a serious shortage of mo-
tor car fuel in various parts Of the
United States, particularly California,
where gasoline sales to tourists have
been greatly restricted, comes encour-
aging information from the National
Automobile Chamber Of Commerce.
What must be received by the auto
mobile public as welcome news is the
statement that a report Of the Bureau
of Mines shows there has been pro-
duction gain Of 63,ooo,o0o gallons in
single month over actual consump-
ton.
In addition, the Federal Trade Com
mission comes out with the statement
that "the gasoline scare has been
largely psychological" and that "con-
ditions in 1920 appear to have been
greatly improved"
Other hopeful facts are these:
Refiners can get twice the amount
Of gasoline from oil by using new
cracking" processes. The big Middle
Western companies using the modern
methods are getting a 35 per cent
yield from crude oil, but refineries
elsewhere are getting only from IL to
% per cent. An increase in production
OF fully 80 per cent Is bound to come
with tho adoption Of the Cracking"
processes by ref1ners generally. -
Mexican Shipments Doubled
Mexico has been almost doubling its
shipments to the American market
every year. Last year there were 52,-
662,000 barrels Of crude oil shipped
from the neighboring country to the
United States, most Of it to the At
lantic coast.
Reserve stocks Of gasoline on hand
at tho refneries in March totaled more
than 626,000,000 gallons. This fact,
reported by the Bureau Of Mines,
serves probably more than any other
to Offset the persistent rumor of an al
ready existent dearth of gasoline.
Further, there is no doubt in the
minds of government engineers and
geologists that there is to be a big
shale. According to David White, of
the Geological Survey, there are in
finite possibilities in oil obtained from
shale deposits, which as yet have not
been tapped in great quantities. be-
cause of the need for. especially de-
veloped machinery. IN Mr.. Whites
opiaion, these shale deposits "are ca
pable of giving oil in amounts far
greater than all the available natural
petroleum of this hemsphare.". Also,
they form an. enduring asset, sufi-
cient to sustain an enormous ultimate
load for an indefinite period"
The Importance of conserving gaso-
Of for more &han obvious reasons, One
of which is that the more gasoline
used pending the opportunity for in
creased production ssand' supply the
higher the price lis likely to go. In
this connection the National Automo-
bile Chamber Of Commerce says:
Should Continue to Save
Motorists should continue to save
gasoline, since the use of 100000
cars in the country means that the
action Of the separate units may have
a great influence on the total con-
sumption. Motor vehicles are the
heaviest users of gasoline, automobile
consumption in 1919 being 3,167 1854, 400
gallons out of the total consumption
of 3,S08,390,649 gallons. 1t is esti-
mated that passenger car uses 800
gallons of gasoline yearly and a
motor truck 1900 gallons.
The worlds deposits of crude oil