Milford chronicle., 1930-10-31
GOVERNOR BUCK
TO FIGHT HIGH
GASOLINE COST
GConfinued from Firn Pagrl


! Governor will prove popular TO 49,
600 or more automobile and truck
owners of Delaware goes without
= saying, for the higher prices they
had to pay for gasoline in their own
| State has long been a sore subject
with autOists.
Prices of gasoline in Pennsylva-
mia, New Jersey and Maryland near
| ly always are two to three cents
lower than the price charged in Del
aware and it is conservatively esti-
mated that the maintenance of the
higher price schedule in this State
costs automobile and truck driver
, owners of Delaware about $1,000,000
year more than they would have
to pay if they were able to buy gas
Oline at the price charged in adja-
cent states.
While Governor Buck has made
no official statement on the subject,
it is known that he has been OppOs-
cd all along to increasing the tax
ON gasoline in Delaware, and while
he has made no official statement ON
the subject it is known he feels it
is unjust to motorists of his own
State to have to pay two or three
cents more for motor fuel than au-
tOists in nearby states nave to pay.
Governor Buck started his action
to try to lower the price for gaso-
line on August IS, after several of
the largest oil companies announced
price reductions in nearby States
but left the price of gasoline in Del
aware unchanged. He wrote to the
presidents of many of the oil, refin-
ing and distributing companies do
ing business in Delaware protesting
against this discrimination and Te-
questing they reduce their prices to
the level enjoyed by residents of
nearby states. The Governor has |
had much correspondence with eX-
ecutives of various companies, but |
thus far they have made no reduc- /
tion in gasoline prices.
Most of the companies in their /
correspondence informed Governor
Buck they were ready to reduce /
their prices if the other companies
also would make a reduction. One
company in effect said it was losing
money at the price it was selling
gasoline in Maryland, and hoped to
make it up in Delaware.
AS an illustration, the price of
gasoline in Maryland to motorists at
retail stations is 18 Genes a gallon
including four cents tax. IN Della
ware it is 20 cents gallon, inelud-
ing a three cent tax, the basic price
per gallon in Delaware being three
cents higher than i'll Maryland. In
New Jersey the price of gasoline to
consumers is nearly always at least
three cents lower than in Delaware.
New Jersey has a gasoline tax OF
two cents a gallon. In Pennsylvania,
with a four cent tax, the price of
gasoline is generally a cent or two
lower than in Delaware. represent
ing at least two cents gallon low
or basic price than in Delaware
Made more determined by the fail
ure of the oil companies to reduce
their prices in Delaware, Governor
Buck has decided to proceed against
the companies in the State courts.
The action he has requested AttOrn-
Cy General Satterthwaite to initiate
is to be under the old common law.
The revised code provides that any
violation of the common law is pun
ishable in Delaware, and the State
is given wide latitude in
charges of conspiracy
The charge of conspiracy to stife
by means of maintain
ing a fixed price has not been re-
sorted to in the Delaware State
courts for many years. it is said.
There is a Federal law that can be
invoked in such cases, it is stated,
such cases coming before the Uni
ed States courts. The action Cover
lOr Buck is to request Attorney
jeneral Satterthwaite to take is to
come before the State courts.