The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-12

needing the rest, anyhow, so you can make the sentence as long as you like. But to solve the petroleum problems of this war, we'll have to do a lot of things that we've never done before and I just want you to know about 1t in advance"
 That is a dramatic statement of the case, but probably Is not much of an exaggeration. Breaking few laws is perhaps the least of the changes that must be made in the gigantic oil industry, for as Secre- tary of Interior and Petroleum GO ordinator Harold L. Ickes told a congressional committee the other day, the problem is to shift the economic base of the industry and to do 1t in weeks instead of years.
 You are familiar with the main events of the background the tanker shortage, eastern seaboard fuel oil shortages, gasoline ration ing for a third of the nations mo- torists, the rubber shortage reduce ing the need for gasoline, increased haulage by railroad tank car and tank truck. Those are the points where the petroleum industry touches the public at the consumer level. But above this consumer level is where revolutionary things are happening.
 As consumption declines, as trans portation becomes tighter, the stocks of gasoline are increasing at many southern seaboard refineries. This is happening despite that fact that crude oil production has been curtailed from the 1941 daily aver age of Al million barrels to around 35 million barrels.
 CHANGE IN
 TECHNIQUE
 Refinery technique must be changed to cut down the production of regular gasoline, while the out put is increased for 100 octane avia- tion gas, fuel oils and heating oils. These changes involve a major in- dustrial revolution, but they are only a beginning.
 Also to be considered is the in- creased production of petroleum products from which synthetic rub- Der can be made - butadiene and styrene, which in ratios of 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively, go to make the Buna s rubber which the government is financing to be produced at the rate of 100000 tons year, by the end of 1943. To do this 1t will be necessary to use less than 15O,O00 barrels of crude day. Fortunately, the oil is there, though the equipment to do it with is not.
 One phase of this conversion which has not been pushed as much as it might be is the emergency, temporary use of existing refinery equipment for the production of synthetic rubber components. Re- finery experts say that both buta- diene and styrene can be produced in high temperature thermal crack ing units. Half the country's normal gasoline supply comes from this thermal cracking process. where temperatures of from 800 to HOO degrees are employed to break down the crude petroleum. When the temperature is raised to 1900, 8 4 per cent yield of butadiene and styrene can be obtained, but this can be done only in the best re- finery equipment that will stand this extra high temperature. Costs may be higher, yields lower. by this makeshift production, but iInme- diate production can be obtained. CALLS
 FOR PLAN
 Here is where demand comes in for national program planning on a vast scale. Refineries that can make only gasoline would have to be given that job. Other refineries would have to be allocated to 100 octane gas production, and those that can produce the materials for synthetic rubber would be given that assign ment.
 If you please, this is socialization of the petroleum industry. though another name for it is drafting the industry for war. Whatever you call it, it goes beyond the regular coln- petitive fields of the oil companies. The oil companies themselves, or the Petroleum Co-ordinator's office, or the War Production Board, or someone so far has seemed reluc- tapt to force the petroleum indus try into this setup. putting 1t in connpetitiOn with the chemical iEl-