Evening star., 1923-08-26
EXPLAINS ADVENT
OF Scent GASOLINE
Game Guy With Ace in the
Hole and Trick Sign
Scores Hit.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
LOS ANGELES, August 2o.-How
6-cent gasoline--no bootleg stuff, but
real. high-grade flivver hootch-came
to Los Angeles is the story of a game
guy with an ace in the hole and
trick sign.
Part Of this story is the announce
ment Of newly discovered refining
process by which gasoline may be
produced and sold at a profit for
nickel a gallon, on the basis of pres
ent prices for crude OIL And If this
merely means maybe" 1t is curious
how 1t has the big fellows groggy
in the merry gas war that has been
cut loose in this section Of the land
Tells What Worries OIL Concerns.
1t is a winning bet that John ID.
Rock kefeller never even heard of Roy
Gehr. Leaving John D. out of ii. it
is the same kind of bet that the
big oil concerns never heard of Roy
Gehr up to a few days ago. But to-
day they have heard of him. And
that's what's worrying them.
For Roy Is one OF those mouse
trap boys in the wilderness, with the
world beating path to his door.
Gehr leased a corner lot well out
toward the suburbs and opened a fill
concerns-one Of the big four. as they
are known out here--had its own
highly ornate filling station a couple
of hundred feet away across the
street. The lowly newcomer was
frowned upon for It's impudence but
way matters stood a few months
ago. when the big four had the situa-
tion in hand.
A few days ago Gehr started some
thing. He began to cut prices on
gasoline. Other so-called independ-
ent filling stations quickly followed
suit. But Gehr held the lead, and
autos began to swarm about his
place like bees after honey. The
men in the nearby filling station
were ordered to put the crusher on
Gehr. 1t was announced that they
would undersell Gehr by I cent, no
matter what Gehr's price might be.
Gehr learned they meant to put him
out of business. He smiled.
Cut Lower Each Day.
Every day found the price sign before
Gehr's station cent lower ,tnan that OF
the day before. The enemy promptly
would cut Gehr's posted price by | cent.
Meanwhile the gas war became general.
The rival concern. backed by the big
company, was confident 1t ultimately
would break him.
Down went GehrS s posted prices Onltl
the target sign was marked with big
"9'' The rival station Immediately cut
it's price to cents. While the enemy
wasn't looking Gehr turned his trick
sign upside down and a So appeared
where the 80" had been. And that's
the way the G-cent gas came to Los
Angeles.
The rival station. surprised at the
lack of customers. sent out scout who
read Gehr's sign with bulging eyes. He
cents. But when others came out to
leek they found the big "9" staring
them in the face. They told the scout
he was crazy. For two days with this
strategy. Gehr has held the big sta
ton, determined to put him out of busi-
rival company advertises gas at cents,
Gehr has his sign at &c" And when the
rival drops TO a nickel. Gehr simply
whirls his sign back to "9."
secret Finally Out.
Now the big companies have found
out about Gehr's ace In the hole. He
Is not buying gasoline at ALI He is
getting 1t from the newly organized
Sterling Refining Company, which
happens to be Gehr's own company,
with a plant at Santa Fe Springs, a
local gusher field.
My gasoline is produced by an
entirely new process which bids fair
to increase the yield of gasoline TO
such an extent that the motoring
public must benefit through low
prices for years to come" said Gehr
today. 1T seems to me that gasoline
should sell for what 1t Is worth. II
1t is worth only a nickel, 1t will have
to sell for that"
Only few weeks ago gasoline
was two bits a gallon. Today cents
will get you that quantity, and the
Ford sheiks and their. gasoline
geishas are burning the potent stuff
far into the night.
Such is war.