Evening star., 1944-02-20

WOTlQ war IL LllSllI we'll NC IldLleu
the War of Oil, and the petroleum re-
serves of the United States stand as
one of its monumental casualties. Do
mestic supplies will be adequate to fin
ish the present global conflict, according
to Petroleum Administrator Harold l..
possible for this country to fight another,
on the same dimensions out of its own
oil resources.
The Nation boasts a record current
output of one and half billion 42-gal-
Ion barrels annually. This giant flood is
being drained off with alarming rapid
ity. Rivers of gasoline are required by
the air forces, and torrents of fuel oil
pour into the expanding Navy and mer-
chant marine, the Army's motorized and
armored divisions, the railroads, thou
sands of war factories and essential
civilian occupations, with agriculture
enjoying equal priorities with the Army
and Navy.
1t is acknowledged that the African
italian campaigns and operations
against Japan have eXacted until now
mere trickles in comparison with the
cataracts of war fuels which will be re-
Quired when and If full-scale offensives
now scheduled are launched in both
Europe and the Pacific.
In case the war continues through 1914
and into 1945, the United States will
cease to be self-suficient in oil for war
and essential civilian consumption, with
less than zero remaining for non-essen-
tial civilian use. In the words of one
official, "the American people have seen
nothing as yet in the way of gasoline
and fuel oil shortages
Germany Worse OFF.
A bright spot in the situation is that
Germany, in respect to oil, is worse off
than ourselves. No like consolation is
found in the Pacific. Through con-
quests in the Far East, Japan for nearly
two years has been master of the globes
NTH largest petroleum fields.
A chart prepared by the Petroleum
Administration for War in August of
last year purported to show that crude
oil requirements for military and es-
sential civilian needs have exceeded
normal production since the first quar-
ter of 1912; that demand at present
stands approximately 100000 barrels
a day above prewar output, and that
the discrepancy at the beginning of 1S45
will probably be in the neighborhood
CT 100000 barrels.
The deficit, together with noneSsential
consumption, has been met thus far
partly by increased output, which rose
nearly 100000 barrels day between
early 1912 and the present, and partly
by inroads upon stockpiles, which de-
Clined for the country as whole, be-
tween April, 1912, and November q,
1s43, from 270.000,0 900 to 239, ,76l 900 bar
rels. Something like l80 900 barrels
is regarded as the minimum national
work stock, representing crude oil in
transit and storage. Reserves are eX-
pected to cross the line downward by
April and to fall sharply to 100000
barrels by April, 1945.'
The outlook for civilian motorists is
made darker by the fact that the mill
tary is constantly taking larger and
larger gulps out of each 42-gallon bar
rel, for aviation gasoline, fuel oil, tu-
olene for explosives and butadiene for
synthetic rubber. Since Pearl Harbor.
production of automotive gasoline has
fallen off drastically in quantity and is
still dropping.
On the other hand, vast quantities of
oil are permitted to lie and spoil in
stripper or marginal wells, which the
owners declare they cannot operate
without loss under the prevailing aver
age ceiling of sl19 barrel for crude
oil which is enforced by the Office of
Price Administration. Validating, or
exploration in quest of new wells, has
suffered headlong decline. 1t has been
discouraged by the same price ceiling,
and by difficulties over labor and ma
terials with the Manpower Commission
and War Production Board.
Moreover, according to PAW, drilling
for new pools has grown steadily deeper
and more costly. Such fresh pools are
described as consistently small and of
minor Importance compared with
bonanza discoveries during the un-
precedented period of 1926-1937." The
present domestic petroleum situation
may be summarized as follows:
The thickly populated Atlantic sea-
board has always been deficit region.
In normal times 1t consumed 40 per
cent of the national oil production, while