The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-26

the 0aSlS OF the average QallV COn-
sumption for the year 1921, fig
ured at the recent price Of IS cents
per gallon, the annual gasoline bill
of the people of the United States
amounts to almost $4,000, 900. An
advance of one gent in the price
adds S123,7263S to the daily gaso-
line bill of the nation. A few
months ago the price of gasoline
was as low as 81 cents. The in
daily toll of SS66.0S466 levied on
the consumers. which amounts to
the tidy sum of $s16.120, 900.90 in
year.
During the first three months OF
the present year the total average
daily consumption of gasoline, in
Guiding export, was 11,8s3,S33 gal
Ions, while the daily production av-
eraged 1852 S7 gallons. On
March 1 the reserve stock on hand
amounted to approximately 1884,
100000 gallons. During the year
1921 the average consumption was
13,SS4,313 gallons per day. while
production averaged 14,119,313.
Just why there should have been
this advance in the price of gaso-
line when there was an abundant
supply on hand and production
was running steadily ahead of con-
sumption may be explained in the
course of the investigation by the
Senate committee on manufactures.
1t may develop that there was good
and sufficient reason for the ad-
vance, which hits almost every
man. woman and child in the Unit
ed States directly or indirectly.
On the other hand, the inquiry
may prove that there is ample
ground for the suspicion in the
minds of some members of the
congress that the price has been
moved upward because the produc-
ers of gasoline saw their opportun-
ity to profiteer and have been tax
ing full advantage of it.
At any rate, in view of the gen
eral decline in wages in all indus
tries and in all localities, it is not
expected that the substantial addi-
ton to the nations daily and annual
gasoline bill will be attributed to
increased labor costs. Labor, in
this instance, may escape the in
dictment that has been brought
against it repeatedly in connection
with the problem of high prices
since. the early days of the Euro
pean war.
In the Good Old Days.
In the good old days gasoline
sold at third the present price
and it is no tax at all upon the
memory to recall when the price
was from II to 16 cents per gallon.
In fact, it was only seven or eight
years ago that such prices OBJ
tanned. Between July, 1914. and
July, 1916, however, the price ad-
vanced 20 percent: This sharp ad-
vance was attributed by authori-
ties to increased demand. and was
not ascribed to increased produc-
ton costs. On the contrary, the
greater demand was said to have
stimulated improvements in pro-
duction methods such that it might
have been assumed that production
costs would be reduced
those who see a direct connection
between the high price of gasoline
and the enormous earnings of the
Standard Oil company, together
with it's subsidiary and associated
interests, and other oil producers of
the country. Senator Mcclellan. of
Tennessee, was the first to intro
duce a resolution calling for an in
vestigation, and it was adopted
promptly by the senate on May ID.
Later, Senator La Toilette. of Wis
consin, who is the chairman of the
committee charged with conducting
the inquiry, introduced another
resolution which gives the investi-
gators wider latitude and greater
in order that the job may
be thorough one.
The La Toilette resolution may
be said to be drastic one, permit
ting the committee to summon wit
nesses, subpoena documents, pa
pers and records of all kinds, and
to employ counsel to aid in getting
to the bottom of the subject It is
to be taken for granted that the
oil and gasoline interests will be
at the investigation by
an array of attorneys and experts
such as is seldom brought togeth-
err. and the Wisconsin senator has
said that he wants the best legal
assistance in the country in order
to make sure that the public in
terest is safeguardad.