Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
FEAR Of CAR FUEL
SCARCITY ALLAYED
Columbia Professor Expects
Rise in Price to Be Only
Worry in Future.

Automobile owners need not fear q
shortage OF motor fuel, according to
Thomas T. Read, Vinton professor OF
mining engineering in Columbia Uni
versity. Prof. Read foresees the posi-
bility that the automobiles of the future
may not require liquid fuel This de-
velopment he regards as no more i'm
probable than flying was 80 years ago.
THE only people who have grounds
for immediate worry" Prof. Read de-
clared, ARE the petroleum refiners, who
in 1929 made 420.000,000 gallons more
gasoline than they could sell, and so
had to add 1t to their already large
stock.
1T is true that 1t has been estimated
by scholarly observers that We possess
only one-fifth Of the worlds total sup
ply OF petroleum, although We have
furnished more than two-thirds Of all
that has so far been consumed, and
that last years output was about one
twentieth Of all we have obtainable.
But nobody can be certain as to how
much is obtainable.
Expect 100000 Wells.
"The wells drilled two or three years
ago did not average more than $500
feet in depth, while now engineers are
talking confidently of drilling to 10000
feet. Some wells are almost that deep
already. In addition not more than a
third Of the oil in the ground comes out
OF the we'll, though practice in that re-
gard Is improving.
After we get the petroleum only, q
little more than one-third Of it is COM
verted into gasoline at present prices,
but with the incentive of higher prices
1t probably would be made to yield
nearly twice as much. We could stand
higher prices for gasoline If We got
more work out Of it, for at present not
more than one.tenth of the energy In
the gasoline is turned into useful work,
and scarcely more than q twentieth OF
it in the actual job Of propelling the
machine along the road.
When you multiply those factors
successfully, it is clear that there is
much possibility that auto fuel will &c
farther and therefore last longer than
has been prophesied.
Gasoline Is Not Only Fuel.
Gasoline is not the only possible
fuel for automobiles for the research
men and manufacturers have many
other strings to their bow Motor fuel
| can be produced by the INCORPORATION
OF coal, and the Leuna plant in Ger
many hoped to produce loo, 000, 900 gal
Ions in that way last year. Even in
the face Of the fact that more ordinary
gasoline is being made than can be
sold. a number of possibilities of substi-
tute liquid fuels are being studied, and
encouraging progress is being made.
Finally, there is the possibility that
the automobile Of the future may not
require liquid fuel. 1t seems improbable
now, but not more improbable than fly
ing through the air seemed 80 years
ago.
$50 there is no need for worry. Many
competent investigators are giving these
problems careful study, and the worst
that can happen to motor using pub
lie would be a gradual rise in the cost
Of their motor fuel This would not be
a serious matter, for annual deprecia-
ton on the average automobile Is more
than its yearly fuel BILL and by being
less responsible to changing designs
since every automobile sold now Is 9
good machine, the motorists pocketbook
would not suffer. after ALL"