The San Francisco call., 1903-01-31
PETROLEUM MINERS ASSOCIATION
REPUDIATES THE RALSTON MEASURE
Oil Test Question
Was Not Given
to Vote.
Senator Now in a
Very Curious
Position.
~HE astonishing discovery is made

~a HE astonishing discovery is made
that the California Petroleum
Miners Association as a body has
II never had any agency In
urging the petroleum fash test
bin that has seemingly had the assocla-
tiou's support before the Legislature. The
directors of the association never had &c
measure before them at meeting, and
have not as a body ever been consulted
about it. Several of the directors OF the
associat ton said yesterday that they hrst
heard of the measure when they saw II In
print. The ordinance presented TO the
Beard of Supervisors and the bill sub
rnitted at Sacramento, so admitted Secre-
tary Deane of the California Petroleum
Miners Association yesterday were sent
forward by him after a conference only
with the president OF the association ana
with the approval of Mr.. de Young. NO
meeting of the directors was called to
take up the bill or the ordinance.
Secretary Deane's story is that shortly
after the accident to the Progreso Fire
Marshal Towe and himself conferred
about the desirability of having a higher
flash test than 10 degrees, the test now
provided for in the San Francisco or
dirances. He CDeane) personally believed
that there ought to be higher flash test
TOwe prepared the ordinance that was
sent to the Board of Supervisors, so said
The. secretary, and Towe insisted upon
having the flash test as high as 150 de-
grees Fahrenheit Towe frequently talked
with him about the fash test Concern
ing the bill that went to Sacramento, Sec
retary Deane says that he personally
wrote the provisions concerning the flash
test and the exemption of the railroad
locomotives from the regulations pro-
vided. He excepted the railroads because
he did not wish to have the railroad hghC
the measure. The flash test was the same
that was originally in the ordinance IA
vored by and prepared by Fire Marshal
Towe.
NOT BACK OF BILL.
So while Senator .alston is declaiming
Al Sacramento that he will not permit the
flash test bill to die without a showing
by the California State Petroleum Min
ers' Association, it appears plainly that
the association is not back Of the bill at
ali and never was back of 1t. The meas
uTe was favored by the president and sec
Tetary of the association, and they acted
upon their own motion without having
any authority from the association to SO
act. The association viii never appear at
Sacramento 10 justify the bill for the rea-
son that there is a strong opposition to it
IN the board of directors. Director Henry
J. Crocker said yesterday afternoon that
the bill would seem TO have been pro
pared in the interest of refining cor
poration. Director Heald said that he
was away when the bill was sent to Sac
ramento. but he was strongly opposed to
il. Director Arthur r. Briggs is also op-
posed TO the proposed measure. Directors
Vending and W. A. Jacobs were never
consulted before the bill and ordinance
were prepared. Neither were Directors
Croker, Head or Briggs. according to
their statements made yesterday.
All the backing that the petroleum flash
test bill ever had from any member OF
the California Petroleum Miners Asso-
cation has been withdrawn. Secretary
c. T. Deane of the association has writ
ten a letter to Senator w. c.. Ralston
setting forth that the criticisms against
the measure have led to the desire to
have it withdrawn. This letter was sent
10 Sacramento Thursday. The text is as
follows:
JANUARY 20 1908
Hon. W c. Ralston. Sacramento CAL
Ny Dear Ralston: l have just returned from
Bakersfield and found your letter about Sen
Miners Association sent you the bill hoping
and believing at the time that il If passed
would benefit the whole oil industry Of the
State. for that is the only object and the only
reason for the existence of such an association
as ours, but since. its introduction the criti-
cisms il has excited have been so frequent and
in some instances apparently Just. that We de-
sire TO withdraw the bill introduced. At the
last session two years ago similar bill was
passed. with the exception Of the last clause,
but failed 10 be signed by the Governor We
certainly had no reason to believe that condi-
tions mad changed so materially in the mean
time but apparently they have and the
producers Of high gravity oil object so siren
UOusly TO the passage Of bill No 225 and as
this association does not desire 20 injure any
one. on the contrary only desire to help all
the oil interests. both high and low gravity
and rather than place ourselves in false po-
sitOn We authorize you TO Withdraw the bill
from further consideration. do not de
sire its passage. Perhaps by the time the next
Legislature meets the oil men viii be able to
agree some law that Will be mutually ad-
vsntageous to every one. You can understand
that after the Progreso disaster il seemed
proper for this association to take some action
toward preventing another one and thereby
injuring the whole oil industry and however
lamentable the occurrence was II may have
been blessing in disguise as well as the dis
cussion which resulted from the effort to make
a flash test for fuel oil Yours very sincerely
c. T. DEANE. Secretary.