Show 9 Y u U Y Y y y y V If l Y V d II YI 1 Y GASOLINE PRICE WAR CARRIED TO WASHINGTON WASHING REGULATION IN OIL IL INDUSTRY REQUESTED IS Gasoline Problem To Pace Face Next Congress In December EXPLANATION GIVEN GIVE California Flooding East East- ern em Market arket With Cheap Crude By fly JOHN om EDWIN StaD Standard St T Special Cone Corre Copyright Copyright 1923 WASHINGTON Aug Aue 18 It The oll Mr war has been carried to t WashIngton With the th department ot justice aUng artous arlous charges that certain of the tho larger corporations are ar in a conspiracy to e the th Independents out of o busi bust business bustness business ness leaders leader of tho industry are r hero here to insist that the Coolidge administration take action I to compel fact all nil petro petroleum um products product at a fair price prace But what a fair tair price is Is hard to determine Senator Robert Hobert 1 M r who will be bean bean bean an extremely dominant factor In the th coming season of o congress has al- al already a al already ready publicly charged that th t the Standard Oil interests have hive deter deter- determined determIned determined mined to drI drive e the independents independent out of business and he lie predicts pro pro- pro e prices for lor gasoline hen the Standard has absolute control RETAILERS O ON CONTRACT CT In this connection be- be before before or be-or fore the th congreSSIonal committee Insisted that that In order to be ba sure ure of gasoline the th chain eta sta- station sta station tion lion retailers are arc obliged to buy by contract and nd the contract price Is fixed by custom on the Standards Standard's retail price It was contended that this meant that when the tb open market breaks as M It has his during the thelast thelast thelast last week retailers get no bene- bene benefit tit lit fit There Is little doubt that tb t the tho en- en entire entire tire n-tire tire gasoline problem wll bo be one on of tho the biggest t which wl confront congress when it meets here her nest December Ono One of the su made y tod was that fiat what the pub pub- pub public lie lic needs is not iM iC N opportunity to tove save sa ve a few on th the tho price of gasoline today but I the llio he creation 1 of f f a proper gO body that lint will permit the oil y to develop e In fair and Ind nd guarantee the supply dt St oil pro rt it a price l that will 1 pey y the producer a return on hi hl Investment hv and JI ick and at the same time provide p p O the tha pUblic with li f t Lhee Ih a maE ma at a fair pric 01 or siTU nov This su wis v IS by Matthew G C Colling Collins re nt ld ot of the G Gasoline with large lare tee refine In thin Ihl try on try and a one in on In ip o for forthe forthe the manufacture e of south of the tha th Rio irne ns Collins who Is an Intimate frioni o t Obregon haJ ha been Icen a assisting can can in the tle th ns which have ho just culT cul d where whereby b by by recognition of o Mexico Is to Joe h arranged and an- anAm Am Amo tk to tc tobe tobe be protect d The present pres nt situation ho lo siH to- to toda to today da day Iq 1 u c-u cau d d primarily by the flood of crude Oil oi e In Cal Ca'l- Cai Cal Ca'l lornia which l i ache th thi coast by at a price low low- lower low lower ow- ow ower er than crude oil can be pro Itc l lii In Oklahoma nod and Tp Tr s f ind A to lo ho he 1 i finer iner s 's In those This gh gle he e the llio sea refiners a u real ral 1 nd the middle refiners refiner hye e the eastern market closed sed to hIm three thre the larger oil companies have paid producers producer n a hith hIgh price pric n In n orr r 10 0 o prevent the Independents independent buying so o that they also could ge geb gasolIne ara Une on the market at nt a low tow PI puce Ice orders from the th cast east western re- re refIners re refiners finers find tind th mst yes ves w I h an tul n en enormous supply of ot gasoline which costs them 12 cents centi A e gallon tomake to make and with a very decided un- un uncertAIn certAIn market for such ch gasoline lt at 8 cents a gallon c IIo n B LOOIS LOOfS But But the th big bl bit companies to fo for three months hae ha e been able bl to ECU liell their products at a high price to the th consumers and have mad madd mathi millions of dollars with the th public as usual contributing the th surplus Now It would seem seem th then Surplus profits Ine ra r being i zed ed to endeavor to force Into bankruptcy fully one one- third one third of the refiners of ot the coun coun- country I try ry since no business can c n continue I to 10 sell sel a product for tor say ay 75 cents centa I I Continued d on Page Tw Two t REGULATION OF OllIS OIL S ASKED a Continued From Prom Page P sc One which costs a ft dollar to manuta- manuta ture ture the big ble thing thine to the public is 18 not whether for the next three months it gets cots c no at 10 cents a gallon llon less leu than n it has been paying but rather whether faIr competition shall not be b re- re re d Eliminate one third one third ot of the tho refining capacity and then the tho excuse alil lie Le present for tor raising prices to the th limit which Senator be use If It you keep in mind the tho great creat increase l In Inthe Inthe Inthe the number of motor cars car In the tho country and that were it not for tor forthe the fact tact that the tho unusually large production in California met mt exist exist- existIng existing Ing inc demand it will bo be realized that prices today would be b much higher than they really are aro These big ble oil oilfields oilfields fields such luch uch as a California come como ov- ov overy cry ery five or ten years year and in Inter Inter- years year it i Is a scramble cramble to secure enough h oil to supply demand and create creat a proper reserve BODY URGED Some Som ten years ago aco the great gret Cushing field fl ld was discovered and oil sold at 30 cents cent a ft barrel Cv- Cv Ev Everyone thought the end ot the th oU oil business was in sight yet since that time the th same amo grade cr d of oU oil has hos sold for tor four tour dollars a barrel and today Is li quoted at t Other leaders of the tho Independent group said ald today that they believe bellev it would be b e for tor congress to cre create to a ft governing body with pow pow- powers power ers era er similar to those now now lOdged In Inthe the Iho Interstate Commerce commis commis- commission commission sion to take tako charge chare of the th oil In- In Industry In Industry Such action it was wa assert asserted ed would protect the th public and t the tho same am time any knock knockdown down and find out drag fight which I would exterminate a ft great treat percent percent- ago of the Independents to the th ulti ultimate public mate detriment of the th buying pub pub- tic lic |