Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2022 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Daily Journal Fergus Falls, MN April 4, 1961 Gasoline Wars Bringing Big Price Reduction DETROIT LAKES: (Special) - A gasoline price war that started slowly about a week ago had shoved the price at most stations here down to 22.9 cents a gallon Monday. Observers in Detroit Lakes felt the price may drop another penney but felt the war was slated to end soon. The price slashing apparently started when one station started giving away trading stamps. The station across the street promptly went down from the going price of 32.9 to 30.9 cents a gallon. The war apparently spread from there, the price going down slowly all last week. A Standard Oil dealer said he had been at 22.9 cents per gallon all day Monday until about 3 p.m. then went back up to 27.9. He wasn't sure what started the war. He said there were still some operators at 22.9 cents late Monday, however. "We're not sure what we're going to do." he said. "It all depends on how things go here." Business, he said, had been rushing but not excessively so. The gasoline war, he said, was apparently not common knowledge outside the lakes area. Detroit Lakes motorists were filling their tanks swiftly. The price-slashing was not confined to Detroit Lakes. Over in Perham, 21 miles southeast of Detroit Lakes on U.S. 10 the price of regular gasoline at all six stations in town was 26.9 a gallon. But it wasn't because of the Detroit Lakes war. One chain operator said Perham was down because New York Mills was down. "It started in New York Mills." the station manager said. "There is no war here. We're just meeting New York Mills competition." New York Mills is 14 miles southeast of Perham on U.S. 10. He said he hadn't heard of the Detroit Lakes gaso- line war. The New York Mills-Perham price cutting had been going on for about three months, he said. In Audubon, seven miles west of Detroit Lakes on U.S. 10, the price was down to 27.9 at one station. Said the manager of the chain outlet, "We have three stations here. I don't know what the rest of them are selling for. But I'm down to 27.9 on orders from Detroit Lakes. I get my gasoline from there." Lake Park, just west of Audubon, was still standing firm at 30.9. But a dealer there said: "It's been a wildcat in Detroit Lakes. They aren't getting any backing from the parent companies. But I have no doubt that they will and I'm sure we'll be down by morning." He felt that when the parent companies gave pro- tection to their dealers, the gas war may go as far as Moorhead. ===========================================================================