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Decembe~ 23,
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<br />I am told will come up on its second re~dlng next T~esday. The title is "An Ordinance Regular-
<br />
<br /> ing the Sale of Motor Fuel and to Provide for Inspection of the _Same."
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<br /> -The Standard Oil Gempany, (NJ), _which I represent, would like to Se heard before you be-
<br />fore this ordinance is enacted into a law, and as 'the matter has arisensomewh~t quickly, amd
<br />as the Councils of the Gities of Norfolk and Portsmouth both meet on Taesd~y Dec. 2nd, and
<br />the s~me ordinance is before both bodies, I am writing to ask that you permit,this matter to
<br />go over for at least one week that we may have an opportunity tO appear before you and urge
<br />our objections to the proposed ordinsnce. The principle of inspection is not objected'-to in
<br />any way, but there are a number of things in the ordinance that' it seems to us ure unnecessary
<br />and some of them may, so far as the writer-knows, conflict with the State Law. Without un-
<br />dertaking to go fully i~to the matter, the following matters are pointed out:
<br />
<br /> tst. Section 2 provides that the requirements of the U.S. Burea~ of Mines shall be the
<br />test, whereas the State Law says the Federal Specification Board. Whether these are the same
<br />! do not know, but it seems to me that it will be better to ascertain a fact like this k~fore
<br />passing the law. _
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<br /> 2nd. Section 3 follows~bsolutely the North Oarolin~ test, and I am informed that-all
<br />of the motor fuel brought to Norfolk by the Oompany I represent, and I think by all the other
<br />Oompa~ies represented here, meets this test because Gasoline is sold by these 0ormpanies out
<br />of the same tanks and from the same shipments, both in Norfolk and in North Garoli~s~
<br />
<br /> -3rd. ~here~e no small dealers in Norfolk, so far as the writer is_~:~advised, who buy
<br />from compsm~iea~ not well known. There are two dealers in Norfolk who have sufficient capaci-
<br />ty for a tank oar of Gasoline; one deals with the Texas Oompany and the ether'the Staudard,
<br />and I am informed that there is no such dealer in Portsmouth having sufficient storage to
<br />take care of a tank car shipment; therefore, it~seems to me that all Gasoline coming here '
<br />vouched for by well known d~alers hsndling~asoiX~xe in large quautities'and Selling~ as I ~ve
<br />said, out of the s~me container both to Virginia and North Oarolin~ dealers.
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<br /> ~h. The State of Virgini&has been examining shipments to this Oompany audhas'taken
<br />many samples and carried them to Richmond for analysis. We have never heard of a single ob-
<br />jection.
<br />
<br /> 5th. Section 5 provides that each corporation or individual selling such motor.fuel
<br />shall display a sign satisfactory to the Inspector of Weights amd Measures, bearing the legend-
<br />"Portsmouth tested gasoline sold here." If all ~.s~lX~ sold in Portsmouth is~to be tested
<br />in Portsmouth, why have this sign? This 0ompany nas been at g~eat expense to COnstruct sta-
<br />tions, with an eye largely to their physicial appearance.~ It has songht to beautify the~various
<br />s~2 used and it believes that to stick up signs all around, of the kind indicated, would
<br />sezve no useful purpose mud will destroy the looks of the place or plmces where such legends
<br />are displs~ved. Everybody will have to obeythe law'if:it is passed, so whyput upa lot of
<br />unsightly signs attached to each pump, say~ug in effect-~This ptump is not a law.breaker."
<br />
<br /> 6th. Section 10 provides that each pumpshall be so constructed that the buyer may see
<br />the quantity of Gasoline or other fuel ~ein2 delivered to him. If this means that the dial
<br />sh~ll display this, the Company for which I~amwriting does not object, ~ecause the dial on-
<br />the pump shows ~ust what is being delivered, but if it means that ~here must be a crystal
<br />globe at the top, instead of a metal container, our Oompany would be put to considerable
<br />expense and would certainly serv~ no ~0od purpose, because if a machine is designed to defraud,
<br />the purchaser could not tell by looking &t the c~ystal globe what went into it, any more than
<br />he could tell by the indicator on the pmmp.
<br />
<br /> ?th. This same section ~ays that all of this shall be done satisfactory to the Sealer
<br />of Weights and Measures. We expressly object to that language in the ordinance because the
<br />Sealer of Weights and Meas~lres changes sometimes; there may be a reasonable man enforcing the
<br />law one month and shun reasonable one the next; therefore, the requiremente should be described
<br />in the law and not left to the opinion of such a~one as may at the moment be looking~ut for
<br />its enforcement, and these Sealers cf Weights and Measures may have different ideas i~Rich-
<br />mend, Portsmouth, Norfolk and each other city in which this Oompany does business, and it
<br />would, therefore, have to have enecial applmances made for each city, instead of ~avtng them
<br />made in bulk, mhd as persons rid~ very often now from place to plaoe~ it would not onlybe
<br />expensive to the Oil Oompamy, but would be confusing tothe public~not finding the.sam~ design
<br />in each place.
<br />
<br /> 8th. These are only a fewof the objections to the ordinance ~s it is dr~.wn. They have
<br />been written hurriedly and in the hope that yo~ir honorable body may see that t~is is an im-
<br />portant matter to be gone into carefully and not to be passed in a moment~of somesudden
<br />excitement caused by the newspaper article emanating at Richmond, which may be true, or the
<br />matter may have been very much exaggerated4 So far as the Standard Oil Oompany is concerned
<br />it has no knowledge on the subject, because it has hmd no Gasolin~ or other product condemued
<br />in Richmond or elsewhere. There is a letter now before the writer~in which the General Manager
<br />for the Southern States says- "None of our gasoline has been =ejected in Richmond and ! doubt
<br />if any large quantity of competitive gasoline has been rejected there."
<br />
<br /> The newspaper article referred to says that 600,000 gals. of gasoline,s condemned
<br />in Richmond. The la~ges~ tank cars carry 10,000 gallons; therefore, if the artiele is.not
<br />ew~ggerated, it would mean the condemnation of sixty tank cars of the largest size. The
<br />average tank cars carry about ?,000 gallons; therefore, yOU will see that these lignites, while
<br />easily w~itten, are staggering in their size when one analyzes what 'they mean.
<br />
<br /> Trusting that you will give this matter the consideration we think it merits and
<br />will give an opportmnity to appear before you, ~I am,
<br />
<br />Law Bldg.
<br />
<br />Yours with respect,
<br />
<br /> R. W. S~JLTXOE.
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