The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-07-17
HIGHER, EVER HIGHER!

Local service stations intmang that the price
Of gasoline is about be raised again and Ibis in face
of the published announcements that the worlds supply
larger than and that there is no hint of famine
in that commodity. The has no voice in the
NATTER there option about paying certain price
opportunity for bargaining We are told that the
increasing demand for gasoline makes steady rise in
price inevitable and that is all we know about the
matter. Congress is talking of making an investi
gaticn, responding 10 a ation-wide camor that some
action be taken o protect lie public If congressional
action should be determined On, the process would be
very slow and the results far from certain Some news
papers advocating boycott on the use of gas"
but that is hardly practical thing to do because of
absolute necessities Ct commerce and because of the
Inconvenience to the public The oil people could well
afford to sit back id wait until the nerves of their
customers were w t. Such suggestions of
little value ard hcy f1 Jet at the root of the trouble
Very frankly and very plainly, the American people,,
although dlsesngy lcngsuGerng will not tolerate for
ever such patent imposition. The doctrine is being
preached every day by thinking men and women and
the truth IS becoming and more firmly fixed in
the minds OF the Of the citizens of this country
that the products of the earth beneath the Ores the
coal, the oil and all the byproducs of these gifts of
nature, should be exploited for private gain They
belong to the nation do the rivers and their water
powers and in mentioning powers thought naur-
ally is directed to Henry Ford and his proposition to
develop Muscle Shoals not for the gloriication and
benefit CT Henry Ford but for his fellows Things can
go far that the limit reached and that might have to
be the in the production of such an important COM
modify gasoline
So serious has the situation become that the American
Automobile Association has taken up the cud GELS issuing
statement through all the local organizations all over
the ccuntry-here in Polk county through the Polk
County Motor Club. This statement says:
Gasoline reserve stocks in the United States are the
largest in the history of the country and are growing at
a much faster ratio than domestic CONSUMPTION accord
ing to figures compiled by H. j. Lowe, petroleum econo-
mist of The Bureau Ct Mines at the request of A. A. A.
officials. The present stocks en- which figures were COM
piled at the end Of the first quarter of 922 were 654,-
Z3Z,OOO gallons, which greater by 20 per cent
than tor the first qquarter of 1921 and SO per cent
greater than for the first quarter of 1920
While The consumption of gasoline has increased it
showed only per used in the first quarter
OF l9ZZ than for the first quarter CT 1921 and only Is
per cent than The first quarter Of 1920 Thus, in
spite of the increasing number of cars A. A. A. officials
point out the stocks of gasoline are increasing still more
rapidly
with these figures at hand, it has been hard to un-
derand The for the rise in the price of gasoline
which has increased from four five cents gallon dur
ing the FIRST three months of the year. Knowing that each
increase Of cent in the price of gasoline means an
additional bill of $50OO0 900 for the motorists of Amer
lea, A. A. A. officials have been working diligently to
obtain official investigation which would at least give
a reason for the advance.
SO far the first tangible result of these efforts has
been the issuance CT QUESTIONABLE by the Senate Man
ufacIurers committee which has been sent to every oil
company and which is d igned to show where the in
originated This corimttee, which headed by
Senator LaF oleite of Wisconsin hopes to obtain from
the received sufficient data 10 form basis for
further investigation of this question
! cannot just reason for this years advance