Davis--04/07/93

FOR RELEASE:  APRIL 7, 1993

             INDIANA OIL COMPANY SETTLES FTC CHARGES
                 IN CONNECTION WITH OCTANE RULE

     Davis Brothers Oil, Inc., a gasoline distributor head-
quartered in Clarksville, Indiana, and its president, Paul E.
Davis, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that
it violated the Commission's Octane Rule by failing to certify
the octane ratings of gasoline it transferred to retail service
stations and by failing to keep delivery tickets or letters of
certification on which it based its octane certifications.  Under
the proposed settlement, Davis Brothers Oil, Inc. would be
required to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and be prohibited from
violating the rule in the future.
     An octane rating is a measure of a gasoline's ability to
resist automotive engine "knock" or "ping," resulting from an
uneven burning of the compressed fuel-air mixture.  The Octane
Rule requires retailers to disclose the octane rating of their
gasoline by posting the now-familiar bright yellow sticker on
each pump.  Under the rule, gasoline refiners and importers
determine the octane rating.  After that point, each entity in
the distribution chain must certify the octane rating to the next
recipient, based either on its own determination or the
certification it received.  The disclosure requirements of the
Octane Rule are intended to help consumers choose the gasolines
which are properly suited to their vehicles.

                            - more -

(Davis--04/07/93)

     The complaint and proposed consent decree were filed
yesterday on behalf of the FTC by the Department of Justice in
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in
Indianapolis.

NOTE:  This consent decree is for settlement purposes only and
does not constitute an admission by the company that it violated
the law.  Consent decrees have the force of law when signed by
the judge.

     Copies of the complaint and consent decree will be available
shortly from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, 6th Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.  20580; 202-326-2222;
TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261.  The FTC also has a
consumer brochure titled, "Octane Ratings," which explains the
Octane Rule and how consumers can choose the best gasoline for
their automobiles.  It is available from the same address.

                              # # #

MEDIA CONTACT:  John Leslie III, Office of Public Affairs
                202-326-2178

STAFF CONTACT:  Jeffrey Feinstein, Bureau of Consumer Protection
                202-326-2372

(FTC File No. 922 3104)

(Civil Action No. IP93-458C)

(Brothers)