The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-09-25
WHY WORRY ABOUT
GASOLINE JUMP
TOWARD THE SKY?
No Need for Alarm Over the
Present Oil SuppIy-De-
rnand and Supply Will Meet
Within a Year.
EXPERTS" GUESSING
AS TO PRICE LEVELS
Belief That Fuel Will Hit so
Cents a Gallon Is Doubted.
Present Prices Permit
Heavy Production.

( Think I'll sell my car" said the man
n the seat by the window, as he laid
aown his paper and took another puff
at his fat cigar. "They have advanced
fellow. has to pay 80 cents at most fill
ing stations. Think of 1t: 80 cents!
Why, | can see that If they keep this
up wen be paying dollar gallon for
the stuff, before We know it. It's out
rageous!"
yes. It's mighty stiff price," agreed
the gray-haired man at his left, who
looked like a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. a
motor car anufacturer-guessed Leslie
v. Spencer in an article in the current
issue OF Motor Life, since the fast train
on which we were riding was the De
troiter," the New York CentraPs fast
crack limited between the motor car
City and the metropolis. Still, when
you stop to figure out just what that
advance amounts to in year, you don't
cars burned the entire production OF
9b,000,000 barrels of gasoline, and as
there are about 100000 cars and trucks
in operation in this country, you can
average the years consumption of each
vehicle at 400 gallons. Two cents more
year. It's really negligible when you
compare 1t with other advances" Very
evidently this traveller had been over
the discussion before, perhaps at a di-
IeotOTb meeting OF MS company. an
assuming that he was an automobile
manufacturer.
May Hit so Cents.
How about this talk hear Of gaso-
oline getting to As or so cents this
year?" asked the man over on the end
OF the leather seat, who up to now had
taken no interest whatever in the con-
verAation. I'm somewhat like oul
friend here, who is talking of selling his
car. It's hard to tell where this thing
will end, and cant afford half dollar
gallon for gasoline"
well, most of the well-informed oil
men I've talked to, or whose opinions
have read, seem to think that gasoline
may get to 36 or even 81 cents this
year--possibly 40 cents in some local.
ties--but it won't go higher than that
This seems to be the oil mans wors
year, and If they keep crude oil pro-
duction up to or in excess of the de.
mand, the price will not exceed these
limits. That means about $50 a ca
more a year, and you wouldn't lay VI
your car for $40, would your"
And now that they have boosted the
price to this basis, 1t isn't likely the,
will ever let 1t down again, demand Of
no demand" volunteered the other mem
Der of the Smoking Compartment club
who, until now, had been merely a lis
tener. why, I've been even reading
tnaC Delore many years we won nav
anywhere near enough gasoline to g
around. With a real shortage OF gaso
line, the price of the stuff will get s.
high that only the millionaires will b.
able to own cars"
We've been watching the situation
very closely" said the manufacturer
because it's vital matter with us
But, although there is decided diff
ference of opinion among experts as t
the future gasoline supply, most 0
them seem to agree that there will al
ways be plenty of gasoline. The price
however, Is another matter. You see
we make motor cars, and all this scar
about gasoline famine is notion
which we are anxious to dispel, sine
our study of the basic facts OF the mat
ter shows that it is largely popular i'm
agination and gossip.