The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-06-10
GASOLINE SHORTAGE
MAKES TRAVEL RISKY

Long distance motoring, as Tesul
OF the gasoline shortage, has become
perilous venture in Oregon, aecOrdin
TO a ID. Moe, who with Mrs. Moe re
turned Sunday night from Corvallis
where they spent the week end visit
ing their son. Mark f.. Moe and daugh
ter, Miss Frances.
The tourist caught on roads by
necessity or otherwise, says Mr. Moe
rs IN a serious plight. No distinction
apparently is made between joyrideri
and tourists who may have urgent bus
mess by dispensers Of gasoline. Be
cause Of the long distance between ser
vice stations where only limited sup
ply of gasoline can be obtained the rule
OF alloting 20 per cent Of the tank ca
paclty is of no benefit TO the long dis.
tance traveller. Not a drop of gasoline
was to be had Sunday between Salem
and Portland.
Corvallis was the worst tied-up city
we visited. In desperate straits bust
ness men had endeavored to launch a
card system but when they found the
demand for gasoline 10 times the avail
able supply they threw up their hands.
While merchants Of the city and others
needing their automobiles on urgent
business are unable to get fuel many
students joyriding apparently are able
to get all they want from some mys-
teIlous source by paying a bonus.
Under the present system the allOt
ment Of 20 per cent of the tank capac-
lty in Portland has not limited joyrid-
ing appreciably but it has merely linn
tied the radius of the motoring parties.
AS long as the motorists limit their
trips to 20 miles from service stations
around the city they can go all day and
all night. All they need to do when the
tank Is empty is to visit another sta
tion and get the limit.
The conservation rule, however, Of
fers no aid for the motorist who must
travel afar and whose allotment will
leave him halfway. We met, at rough
estimate. five hundred cars on the Co
lumbia River Highway between Port
land and Cascade Locks Sunday.
The gasoline shortage has had a
serious effect on small service stations
and little confectionery and candy shops !
ard soft drink places, which to large |
extent have depended on tourist trade. |
: No gas signs stare at one from hun |
dreds of service stations and small gar
ages along the road. Others have closed |
up their shops entirely, declaring that
they had rather quit the business than |
to argue with an irate travelling public.
Many of the confectionery and candy
shops have closed their doors. The |
Crown Point place was closed Sunday,
and the Multnomah Falls shop, al
though 1t was doing a rushing business,
had only half force"
Mr. Moe says that the roads of the
Valley although the people
there consider them good, are poor in
with highways in Hood
River county. Between Hood River and
Salem, the shortest route, the motorist
negotiates approximately 100 miles of
pavement. Mr.. Moe left the Base Line
road at 82nd street to Oregon CITY, to
gasoline By the route he
.ook Corvallis is 1855 miles from Hood
River. Between Portland and Salem
me encounters about Is miles of bad
Dad. old wornout macadam. All this,
loweyer, according to plans, will be
paved this year"
Mr.. and Mrs. Moe called on a number
u families, who formerly resided in
iood River, while visiting in Corvallis.
HC1 NlSlItu lTOl. D. ". Mcldugnlln,
ormerly local city school superintend-
mt who now fills similar position at
Corvallis.
We found that Prof. Mclaughlin
ad Just purchased new home" saws
ar. Moe, "having been forced to buv
0 get place to live. He is working
light and day as a result of shortage
teachers and inefficient help, but is
laking good. We were surprised to
nd the Corvallis people so well in
)rmed about Hood River. Although
! instances they did not receive local
apers they declared that they learned
the doings Of Hood River by the
'mplete news service of the Oregon
IN.
We called on Rev. f. T. Simpson, 3
,rmerly rector of st. Marks Episco
Al church. familiarly known in the
,llege town as Father Simpson, and
ere grieved to find Mrs. Simpson so
that we were unable to see her. We
sited Mrs. William Yates, who is at
Drvallis to educate her younger daugh-
r. Mr.. Yates is at Alsea in charge
their farm there.