New Britain herald., 1926-05-28
WHAT PRICE GASOLINE?

WILL DIlu6 III d pICttS pIAiJ 1NA NA4 oil companies. These gentlemen |. tell us that the prices must fit the {. demand; when the latter slackens, { as is the case in the winter time, the price can be reduced; in the summer time, however. it Is a case of all the traffic will bear--at least within reasonable limitations.
 Which brings on the question as to how our oil fields are holding out. Reports from throughout the country are to the effect that the year has not brought any large new pools or wells into view, and what oil we are getting must be produced from the existing fields. Of course. no one knows when wildcatters may bring in a new field: the point is, they haven't done so this year.
 The result is that the fields we already have are being worked more thoroughly than ever before, and with improved equipment. Wells which have been poor pro- ducers for years are being made to produce oil in larger amounts through increased knowledge of how to bring this about, The de- tails would fill q column; suffice it to say at this time that it can be done.
 But our oil men are buster than this: They also are active making | arrangements for q foreign supply ! if perchance the American wells produce less than the require ments. One constantly reads of oil men taking trips to Europe for i conferences" with foreign oil men; and the net result of such trips has been that American interests are bound up with those from Europe in the exploitation of wells in far away corners of the globe. such as l Mesopotamia. Persia, etc.
 South America also is being heard from as an oil producer, al- though on q small scale. American ] interests have been active there, which means they have fixed their fences to get into those fields with greater energy when the time is ripe. Mexico. q big producer in the past, is tagging slightly, due to un- settled laws regarding the oil in- dustry. laws which tend to discour- age foreign exploitation.
 But the question inevitably arises: How long will it take to dry up all available fields at the pres ent rate Of consumption? Oil men are not agreed upon the possibii- ties Some claim it will be no more than 2o years before every drop of this great bounty of nature will have been utilized, and the only stores of gasoline in sight will be those kept by various governments for war purposes. Other oil men are more optimistic, claiming this won't happen for at least half a century But they all agree that sooner or later a dearth of gaso- line will come about to harass man. kind which has built up huge in- dustries around this comparatively I inexpensive product.
 Of course. modern invention vii provide substitutes for gasoline when necessary; there already arc such substitutes in use in Sweden which has no native gasoline sup. ply, Necessity is the mother of in. vsnron" But the point it, will tho substitutos he as cheap and as uni. yarsally obtainable as the present gasoline supply? And if not, will i mean tha' the era Of the populm use Of the automobile is 10 wan'
 whom the price of propulsion get prombiiye for the ordinary man Or will the substitutes he as cheaI as gasoline IS at present?