The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-10-25
OIL MEN
TO CONFER
Agent Watson is
Called to San
Francisco.

! VI lHe Vi Iuti OliS W
w the plantations on this island
will not be settled for some time. Or
ders received by Mr.. ]. l.. Watson, the
agent of the Standard Oil Company,
who has been here for the past month
in negotiation with local plantation
men, summon him to San Francisco for
consultation with the head office, and
he leaves for that city today. His busi-
ness may take him to New York where
are the headquarters of the Standard
OIL Company
There has been a tendency on the
part of the plantations to want conces-
sions in the matter of contracts, which
the Standard will not grant. The gen.
eral feeling of the local consumers of
fuel is that there should be more liberal
concessions granted them, while the oil
men insist that there Is not enough in
the business to warrant any further in
ducements for the Introduction of the
fuel. The length of term of the con-
tracts is put at two years, and the price
about s1.45 a barrel. which is close to
S.. 90 per ton basis for coal
During his stay Mr.. Watson has
visited the various sites for storage
stations, and has decided that there are
two points where the oil could be kept
safely and economically one of these
is a point about one and n half miles
from the city, down the railroad, and
the other is at Pearl Harbor. The
plan, should the Standard decide to
come into the field, for the supply of
fuel, would be to erect such a number
of tanks as would give to the users of
the oil supply which would keep them
from danger of shortage for at least a
half year.
The agents of the various plantations
who have been in consultation with
the oil man have about decided upon
a basis for agreement, which will be
| carried to San Francisco by Mr.. Wat
son. but there will be no determination
until the officials OF the company have
considered it. The probability Is that
! Mr.. Watson will have to go on to New
York for a conference with the people
at the principal office, as there Is some
danger that II will be impossible to
secure "A supply Of tank steamers for
! this trade for some time. There Is now
a great demand for such tonnage owing
to the increased use of fuel oils in Eu-
rope and the great amount of the sup
ply from Texas which must find mar
ket. The fact that the negotiations
have reached such a stage as to make
It even probable that Mr.. Watson will
have to go to New York indicates that
negotiations have reached such a stage,
that the differences are so small that
they may disappear upon the personal
report of Mr. Watson. to the head office
at New York.
( Reports from the East are that the
boom in exports of fuel petroleum has
caused an unprecedented demand for
trade The English shipyards are busy
| filling contracts for vessels of this type
several of which have been ordered for
! the Texan fuel oil trade. These are to
run direct from Sabine Pass to London
and other large manufacturing centers,
where fuel oil is always in demand.
The present type of bulk oil carriers
has an average carrying capacity Of
about l125.000 gallons. The new YES
sells will vary over 5000 900 gallons.
Some are for the use of the Standard
I Oil Company and others for the inde
pendent oil producers. The use of coal
will be dispensed with and oil used in
stead.
The oil exports from Philadelphia dur
ing one week amounted to over II, 900. 600
gallons, and for the year to October
list, are over 100000 gallons.