FUEL PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1926, Page 18

FUEL PROBLEM

At a joint meeting in Washington, D.C., held the last week in April this year of six technical and Governmental organisations, prominent speakers declared that if the United .States is to continue its present use of""oil and its products tho nation's petroleum resources must be conserved and technical research encouraged. Unless fuel engineers find cheaper production and distillation methods than are now ■ used, William Taylor Thorn, junr., of the U.S. Geological Survey, declared, operation of motor vehicles within the next decade will be beyond the price reach of the average consumer. He asserted that a synthetic fuel is coming, and pointed to alcohol as a possible replacement for gasoline in tho engines of motor-cars. Julian D. Sears, of the Geological Survey, said that improved carburetters, lighter cars, higher compression engines, and a general change in automobile engineering will enable twice as many cars as are now on tho road to run on about the same amount of gasoline consumption. This being the position taken up by such an authoritative body, it behoves us to set our own house in order before it is too late, and not bo caught napping.