Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-07-23
GAS PRICES CLIMB;
SHORTAGE RELIEVED
Advance of Two Cents Per Gallon
Took Effect July f6--Peui Oil
Up Three and One-Half

The motoring public got another
severe jolt in the ribs last Friday
when two-cent increase in the price
of gasoline became effective At the
same time Pearl oil (kerosine)
climbed three and one-half cents pei
gallon Gasoline is now dispensed
by local retailers at 33 cents per gal
lon, the highest price in the history
of the city. Pullman was more for
tunate, however, than many other
places, where increases of from three
TO five cents in gasoline were noted
In instructing the local Standard
Oil agent to announce the increase
in prices, the company made the fol-
lowing explanation;
This field is normally supplied
with gasoline and kerosine from Cal
ifornia, but the acute shortage IN
California has made it impossible to
supply from that point. All of our
stations east of the Cascades are now
being supplied with gasoline and
kerosine purchased by this company
from refiners in Wyoming, and the
new prices in effect are based on the
higher cost of the products. Our
suppliers now assure us they will
provide sufficient gasoline and kero-
Cd, 20 f,tn
tingent, of course, on uninterrupted
transportation conditions and ade-
quate supply of tank cars
Local dealers, for two weeks past,
have been receiving practically all
the gasoline desired, and the supply
and demand situation is practically
normal.
Increased consumption. not di-
minished supply, was given as the
cause of the gasoline shortage in a
statement issued by the Standard
Oil company of California
In 1915 there were $4,000 mo-
tor vehicles on the Pacific Coast, in
1920 more than 0,00O." said the
statement. I'm 1915 there were
5000 tractors, in 1920 at least U.s.
900. There are many thousands of
gas engines in operation,
I'm 1913 the company's sales of
gasoline amounted to 1920 1000
gallons, in 1919, 93,900,000. while
the sales of 1920 will be more than
00,000,000 gallons. So far this
year the company has sold asa per
cent more gasoline than for the same
period of last year.
Reserve stocks of crude oil
amounted to 58,500,000 barrels in
1915, to only 26,600,000 on May 81
1920. Standard Oil reserve stock s
of gasoline on January, /. 1918, were
27,000,000 gallons; year later IA
100000 and this year 4.4OO,0 gal
Ions, or but $4,000 barrels, Of which
per cent was unavailable, being
in tank bottoms and pipe lines"
Production of crude oil this year
is estimated at little more than
100, 100000 barrels and at the pres
ent rate consumption this year will
be more than 100000 barrels.
I'm other words" says the state
ment "the Pacific Coast will this
year consume 100000 barrels of
crude oil more than produced. This
company alone is buying 10000. 900
gallons of gasoline east of the
Rockies and from Mexico, which
goes to points formerly dependent
upon California for supplies"
The statement points out that
while there are more than 5000 more
wells this year than in 1915 the aver
age production for well is now
1854 barrels day as against 40.96
Q day five years ago.
Reports of dangerous situation
came down from the farms. There
was insufficient gasoline distributed
to keep tractors and-irrisation pumps
going. There was only one course
to conserve by curtailing the least
essential consumption. What consti-
tutes the least essential was clear
iOy ridinr " tho ctaFaw,o-t rouz