Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-06
THE OIL PRODUCERS AIM.

THE OIL PRODUCERS AIM.
COLLECTING MONEY TO CARRY ON
THEIR NEW ENTERPRISE.
| They Claim to Have Over Three Thousand
Members and Over Half Million Dollars
Paid In Personal Opinions = Reports
From the Fields.
/ The topic of conversation among the peo-
pie interested in the oil business is the action
| of the producers delegates at Bradford. 1t
is the first step which the producers have
taken in which they have publicly an.
nounced their intentions. For year or more
they have been recognizing theold Produc.
| ers' Protective Association, and have taken
| eyery possible means to throw around their
| councils the utmost secrecy. They are now
coming boldly to the front. They have
elected and published the names of the men
who are to lead the new enterprise, and
| have announced that they will apply for
charter for. company with a capital stock
of $500, 600. Their scheme has been known to
| all who follow the oil business for some time.
| A business association of as many producers
| as will ioin the P. P. A. will be formed to
| produce, pipe and refine its own oil, and the
members. "
Pittsburg Producers Are Happy.
The Pittsburg producers wore beaming
smiles yesterday when asked about the
present status OF the affairs of their associa-
ton, and with faraway looks seemed to see
! visions of 81 oil and untold wealth. Most of
them were silent regarding the situation,
but a few were inclined to talk. Among the
latter was producer from the upper coun-
try who is close to the inner councils of the
p P. A. Upon condition that his name
would not be used he made the following
statement:
'Since the ice has been broken and the
producers are about ready to go it alone,
do not see any harm in giving You few
facts. In the first place the P. P. A. was
never so thoroughly organized as 1t Is now.
Missionaries have been at work among the
oil men for the past two years, and as q re-
suit there are now about $500 oil producers
who are members of that organization. This
you will readily see includes a bout 95 per cent
of the men engaged in the business. The
great trouble has been heretofore that the
oil producers would never hang together.
An Unfortunate Fault Obviated.
That fault has lost them every enterprise
they ever engaged in, and this they now be-
lieve to have obviated. Every man who
now belongs takes the most solemn oath as
a man to stand by the organization under all
circumstances He also pledges himself to
turn all of his oil into the lines of the new
company as soon as it is ready for operation.
Now for another fact. There have been sub
who have subscribed $4,000 each. Some
people might say it Is is easy geo+tm" enough in
Pittsburg about three weeks ago, when T.
NJ Shannon was elected trustee, it was de-
cided to make an assessment OF 40 per cent
This has already been done,a and the amount,
arIr- hos haaf n in In
another assessment of 20 per cent will be
made and the other assessments will be lev
led before the end of the year. They are so
situated now that they must stick together,
ers of the Declaration of Independence
Gentleman, we must all hang together, or
we will all hang separately
The First Act on the Programme.
"About the first thing which will be done
will be the erection of q couple of refineries
near Pittsburg and the laying of pipe lines
into the adjacent oil fields. The next step
contemplated is pipe line to the seaboard,
and one to the lakes: Cleveland mas asa about 3
the latter A refinery will be constructed
there and the refined product shipped to
Chicago and the entire West. The rivers
will be used to get into the Southern mar
kets from Pittsburg. As have stated, every
man is pledged to turn his oil into the asso-
ciated company. If it Is necessary to put
the new concern on solid basis the pro-
ducer must be satisfied to take 60 or 70 cents
q barrel for his oil, and possibly much less.
At the same time the market price may be
90 cents or 81. That is the present status of
affairs as far as am at liberty to tell you."
Colonel Dwyer, of the Kanawha Oil Com
pany, said: at is simply combination of
business men who are bent on making as
much money out of their business as they
should do so legitimately. We did not or
ganize for the purpose of fighting the Stand
ard, but to carry on refining and producing
business.
The Octopus Has the Same Privilege.
"The Standard can do the same lift wishes.
There is room enough for ALL We believe
we can get more money out of the business
by refining the oil ourselves, and have taken
this method to go about it."
Fred Fisher, of the Fisher Oil Company,
have been in the oil business 80 years, in fact
siuceI was boy, and have seen several
combinations of producers go to pieces, but
l confidently believe that the present one
will be success. There are better men at
the head Of it than ever before. The pro-
ducers are thoroughly in earnest, and al
though they have little to say to outsiders
We believe we can get 81 so or 81 90 for the
crude and besides make good
profit on the refined: There are
who have offered to build refineries and lay
pipe lines if we would only guarantee to give
them all the oil we produce. In several of
the European countries thereis no duty on
crude, while there is on the refined. Thus,
you see, a barrel of crude in New York is
worth a barrel of refined. The crude can be
shipped into the foreign countries free, be
refined there and the by-products will pay
for the expense of refining"
Independent Producers Now United.
Captain NJ. Finegan, of the firm of Finegan
& Downey, said; "There is not doubt but
that the producers are now thoroughly Or
ganized, and all they need to do to achieve
success is to stick together Internal
troubles have always broken up their organ
izations in years past, but if they can only
be brought to work in harmony there is no
danger but that they will eventually get a
better price fort their product" d
William Guckert, of Guckert & Steel, re-
echoed the sentiments of Captain Finegan,
and said that he had been loath to go into
the organization at first simply because the
producers, in all previous attempts of like
character, had allowed their associations to
disintegrate.
A NJ Todd, of Washington, who has been
attending the meeting at Bradford, arrived
in Pittsburg last night, but refused to speak
News From the Fields.
The field reports yesterday were of an or
dinary character. No big wells were re-
ported, but several small ones came in.
Operations at Wildwood.
WILDwooD-Grjffith and the Forest Oil
Company's Ringeneisen No. is 90 feet in the
sand and showing for Is barrels a day
Their No. 8, on the same farm, is Is feet in
the sand and looks like an Is or % ba rrel we'll