At the time of the battle of Champagne, France had 4,000 aeroplanes and 8,500 motor-lorries; that compelled her to increase her reserves of oil from 22,000 to 40,000 tons. But the crisis as regards supplies began in April 1916. Payments to foreign countries were more than could be met by the cartel, which, having just paid an account of a hundred million francs for purchases made by the State, could advance no more money. The position grew steadily worse and reached its culminating point after the United States came into the War in November 1917. The original little fleet of tankers quickly proved as inadequate as the size of the docks provided in our ports, which were intended for boats of 4,000 to 5,000 tons while the American tank-steamers were of 10,000 to 15,000 tons. On December 5, 1917, the Cartel of Ten had to confess its impotence and resign to the State a task which was too much for its powers. The stocks ran grave risk of becoming too completely exhausted on March 1, 1918. It was imperative "to effect a reorganization which history will record as one of the most substantial triumphs of the Entente at the decisive moment, and which resulted--thanks to the pressure on behalf of France which President Wilson put on the _Standard_--in doubling the figures of our importations of oil and petrol" (Report addressed to M. Clémentel, Minister of Commerce, in April 1918). Mr. Wilson, as soon as he received M. Clemenceau's moving appeal, summoned Bedford and W. Teagle to his room, and insisted that a certain number of their ships should be taken off their usual routes and sent to France. Eight days later, three magnificent tank-steamers entered a French port, bringing 30,000 tons of petrol. And since then, thanks to a new system of rotation of ships, France was enabled to receive annually a quantity which, finally, exceeded a million tons. (Each boat was made to do one extra voyage a year; that gave a gain of 160,000 tons.) Consumption steadily increased; the requirements at the front rose, at certain times, to 1,800 tons _a day_. France consumed:-- Tons. Tons. 1914 (first half-year: peace) 200,000 } 476,000 1914 (second half-year: war) 276,000 } 1915 457,000 1916 640,000 1917 610,000 1918 1,000,000 _87-1/2 per cent. of this oil was supplied by the American continent_, the United States, Mexico, Trinidad, South America, etc.; _12-1/2 per cent. only by the Old World. That is why, in case of a new war, it would be impossible for any Power whatever to gain the victory if its tank-steamers could be barred from access to the New World._ During the month of October 1918, alone, the consumption of the Allied armies was:-- French 39,000 tons American 20,000 tons British 32,000 tons