Rising Price of Gas

* The total was $32 to fill my small sports car fuel tank; $1.79 per gallon was the per-unit rate. As the fumes drifted out of the nozzle, it seemed fumes were wafting out of my collar as well. It takes only the excuse of a rumor from our so-called friends at the oil companies to raise the prices at the pump, mostly in Southern California, but months to lower them again after the crisis is over. Why don’t we do the right thing when this happens? When the prices go up, curtail your fuel usage by half. If you can walk to your destination, do so. If you can carpool for a few weeks, make the effort. If we can cut the consumption, then we would be in control. Every time the oil companies raise the prices, they would make only the same amount of profit.

LAWRENCE J. COLGAN

Mission Viejo

* A senior’s dilemma: gasoline prices. We normally take two 10-day driving safaris a year, approximately 2,000 to 3,000 miles each trip. This year we are going to stay home. The savings are as follows: 20 nights in hotels, 20 breakfast meals, 20 lunch meals, pie and coffee along the way, 20 dinners; evening entertainment--movies, plays, etc.; shopping in the stores along the way (a large savings); 230 premium gallons of gas figured at 4,000 miles; 4,000 fewer miles on the car.

We will miss seeing the sights and meeting all the nice people along the way. One good thing--the local merchants will benefit.

RALPH MARTIN

Northridge

* When asked what there is to do here in Banning (where I retired to in 1997), I tell my friends that I go up and down Ramsey Street (which parallels Interstate 10) and watch the gasoline operators change the prices of their fuel--which is a daily affair. It’s sort of like watching a board writer posting the prices at the stock exchange every few minutes as buys and sells take place.

For the first time in my memory since Arco discontinued its credit card, the price of a gallon of Arco gasoline has surpassed Chevron’s prices. This is probably a result of the upcoming purchase of Arco by British Petroleum and American Oil Co. Looking over some old Standard Oil Co. of California (now Chevron) gasoline receipts from the spring of 1958, here are some prices, along with places where the purchases were made: Los Angeles--27 to 27.9 cents for regular, Indio--35 to 37.9 cents for regular, Bishop--36.9 cents for regular and Reno--36 to 36.5 cents for regular. Supreme gasoline (with the ethyl additive) cost 3 to 4 cents per gallon more.

It seems somewhat strange that the state can control to some degree the price of a gallon of milk but do nothing about controlling the price of a gallon of gasoline. Why is that?

JIM HULGAN

Banning