Show Better Roads Improvements Improvements to Market Free Roods Free Cam Campsites for foe forI Tourists and General Information of the Automotive In Industry I t THE GASOLINE SITUATION ltER- ltER has haa been en considerable talk In the last few Cew weeks relative e to the T THERE rumored imposing of ot a ration system in connection with tho the consumption consumption tion Uon of or gasoline but after I running the rumor down it does not assume i such Inch A menacing form torm as would appear from the stories going about Investigation at the bureau buru of ot mines developed he fact tact that there Is III IsI I jn de shortage in gasoline production and Director tol Manning states state that Ift the he So Consumption had Increased no so much faster taster during the tho first months montha of ot 1 Q that it was vas necessary to take barrels of ot crude oil from storage p. p s meet mut the current needs The north Texas fields have hae reached the tho maximum output and aoel is very ery ly on the decline arid and unless new fields are discovered there the tte pro- pro 11 Ion fon tor for the present year yen will be much less leas than that of last The fields li Q have proven to be large but not anywhere as extensive extensive- a tie lie at at df r IU t t Anticipated fJ In In contrast with this reduced production the consumption of petroleum has hu increased at an enormous rate During tho the year ear of 1918 very ery V cly automobiles were hero built comparatively speaking and in 1918 19 the ther r l le crt In the use of automobiles au was not as as' as great as that of ot previous 4 e re but in 1919 1913 there were produced a million and a R. half halt automobiles for tor forin t. t in UfO 1920 and the Industry itself Is today more active than in n its ip Therefore Therdore 1920 will wUl stand island out as 88 being tho the largest year ear of gasoline Consumption in the history of ot the tho country r. r H It wa was wae partially due duer to tu Dr Manning that congress congress was asked for tor a prop investigation to discover a suitable substitute for tor gasoline and andr r rl win t hl his hi appeal to congress ne ne- said The present situation of high gasoline and threatened shortage has haa been caused by the increase in the use j O of gasoline faster than In production and Importation of pru prude e petro- petro le m from which it is derived We e now find that we cannot obtain sufficient s r line from the old process of ot refining crude oil to meet the present and fUi needs need t A i prominent official of ot the federal trade commission spates tates in answer to an Inquiry relative to rationing gasoline consumers that there Is s no governmental a agency ency that could order a ration system but refiners and rt f fI may but such a m method thod into effect as aM a 1 matter of ot necessity and tho the bUc of ot course une would have ha to go along under prevailing pre conditions f fit It It f I f. f well known n that representatives of ot several of ot the larger companies d this thle matter Informally with the tho officials of ot the government I 1 bout o u any ny definite result The bureau u of ot mines gives ives I the following figures as of ot May 31 31 1920 In rh on n with that of or the same Bamo date dato for tor 1919 On the latter date thero there ht v ra on nand at et refineries barrels of ot crude oil on the same date dater I r jn 9 DIO there MO b there were barrels The gasoline on hand totaled on W v. v hI same date gallons allons as compared with gallons in hr 1919 I 4 1 these conditions aro arr ar hastening the efforts to secure a substitute and andt t years rs there have ha l hen heen cen developed de methods of ot producing a synthetic I q oUno from the less heavy and volatile portions of crude oil and by this- this d 16 per cent of ot the gallons of ot gasoline produced in 1919 y re d derived at |