The Fuel Products 
120 
UNITED &T 
PRODTH 
PETI 
elds u- 
"E,— 
2 Gallons AR. 
Fig. 102. The four areas of petroleum production in the United States, in order of productive- 
ness, are: (1) the mid-continent area ; (2) California; (3) the Middle-West and the Gulf; 
(4) the Rocky Mountain area. 
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supply. How do these figures explain the constant discussion, in news- 
papers and magazines, about our supplies of gasoline » 
Many people think the conservation of petroleum so important that they 
are proposing government restriction of its use. How do the figures 
given above explain their attitude ? 
In 1909 President Taft, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Army 
and Navy, ordered that no government lands suspected of containing 
petroleum should be sold until Congress could pass a law to insure the 
government a sufficient supply for its future needs. What was his 
reason? What is the government's present policy in this respect ? 
Not far from 25,000,000 automobiles and trucks are registered in the 
United States. We have hundreds of oil-burning vessels in our navy, 
and our merchant marine contains one or two thousand additional oil- 
burners. What effect would a petroleum shortage have upon trans- 
portation in this country ? 
Name another kind of transportation that may in the future require a 
great deal of gasoline or of some good substitute. For what purpose 
may the up-to-date farmers also need a great deal ? 
Wood alcohol can be used as a substitute for gasoline. Learn what you 
can about this fuel. Will the sources of supply of it become exhausted ? 
How can they be increased ? 
During the last sixty years the United States has produced about 60 per 
cent of the world’s supply of petroleum. We have exported about one 
fifth of this production. How will our increasingly large automobile 
traffic probably affect the export figures ?