White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-05-30
THE OIL SHORTAGE

Bureau the failure TO increase pro-
duction of crude oil in the United
States has brought the nation face
to face with a shortage OF petroleum
products. For ten years there has
been a national policy which dis
couraged increased oil production.
The recent passage OF the oil land
leasing bill came as a tardy ac-
Acknowledgement of the critical sltua-
ton.
In the face OF the decreasing sup
ply of fuel oils the domestic require
ments have been doubled and trebled
not considering the foreign trade
which Is clamorlng for U. s. products.
While oil producers have managed
to double their products In the last
ten years, the number of oil burning
vehicles has increased fifteen times
with a greatly increased use of fuel
oil by the merchant marine and
navy. =
Explaining the recent advance in
the price of gasoline on the Pacific
coast. X. r. K~ingsbury of the Stand
ard Oil company, pointed out that
due to the highest price on record In
the east, Pacific oast gasoline at the
old price could be shipped to New
York and sold at d profit and the in
creased price was necessary to save
the western supply and also that to
encourage increased production OF
crude oil another advance to the pro
ducers was necessary. Mr.. Kings
bury points out emphatically that the
advance in price was solely to pro-
tect the fuel oil and gasoline supply
of the coast and to stimulate the pro
duction of crude oil.
Compared with the increase in
price of other commodities, gasoline
and oil supplies are reported today
to be m of the very cheapest prod
ucts which the public has to buy.
And sill the dear public swallows
the bait and looks for more.
With drastic rationing of gasoline
for pleasure cars still in effect in
California, all work was stopped on
the projected $4,000, 900 refinery of
the Standard Oil company at Rich
mond, wires the United Press. How
would war news read-WKh the enc
my breaking through on both flanks
and the hard pressed army calling
g. aa.toraanaan t- fhn raonr.ac ara
being rapidly mustered out.
Does 1t not also sound like the
things We have heard of the fruit
crops. when the prices of oranges ere
soaring the scouts of the big packers
are buying up entire groves and per-
hitting the fruit to rot on the trees.
The juggling of oupply and de-
mand is the old old practice that has
produced more millionaires in Amer
lea than any other country in the
world and in no other country in the
world would phe people shut their
eyes to the cold facts and smilingly
dig down and pay.
1t was. not long ago that the Stand
ard Oil floated the propaganda that
the reason for raising the price OF
gasoline on the Pacific coast was due
to the fact that the gas was so much
cheaper in theswest than in the east
that spectators could buy gasoline
at retail prices on the coast and send
It east to sell at a handsome profit.
Any time the price-fixer working for
as big an outfit as the Standard Oil
would permit such a condition to ex-
list for more than fifteen minutes, he
would be r~elegated to the ash can.
Now the story of the company
spread among the u who
complain about the quality of the
gas being marketed. is that the west
has been using eastern gas for a long
period and 1t is not refined to meet
the western conditions.
The different stories of the com
pany reminds one of the fable where
rhe hermit found a wanderer cold
and hungry and brought him 10 his
cave. When the w%anderer entered the
cave he hold hts hands f. front of
his mouth and blew on thein. The
simple minded hermit asked him
what he did that far nn7 thr reply
was to war mhis lanas" When the
hot porridge WIS 81 -fore wan
erer he blew his hr
.;u,pIo n,traea hnran.f aH