Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1905-02-09
Governor Koch Does Not Favor State
OIL Refinery.
WOULD EXPERIMENT FIRST.
No Objection to Establishing Expert
mental Plant to Discover if State
Gan Refine oil at Protit-other
Ways to Curb Oil Trust.

Topeka, Feb. 4.-Goyernor Koch is,
not in favor of the establishment of a.
big state oil refinery-not now, at:
least He believes the Standard Oil
trust can be curbed in other ways, AND
is willing TO try them first. If it is
found that the other remedies will not
work. then he saws he would favor
state, refinery ifor commercial pur-
poses. However, until the plan of
state control is tested and found in
adequate. he does not care to plunge
the people into the expense of con-.
structing a big refinery.
The freight rate question enters
into the matter strongly, ;. said the
governor Unless the state is given
power to fix rates on oil the Standard
with it's grip on the roads could make
the state refinery an absolute failure.
Now. if proper railroad legislation
could solve the problem it would be
better for the state to do that than to
engage in the manufacturing business
itself. The Standard thrives an favor
able discrimination by the railroads,
sosit is claimed. If its grasp on the
roads can be loosened, perhaps indie
pendent refineries would come into
he state and create some competition
not only in the purchase of crude oil
from the producers. but in the sale of
refined oil to the consumers.
81 want the monster throttled,'
continued the governor. But there
are more ways than one of doing it.
If it develops that this is the only way
it can be done. would plunge the
state deeply into debt for a CONNER
cial refinery. But we should go SLOW"
Some of the lobbyists of the Oil
Producers Association, have been us
ing the argument to good effect among
members, of the legislature that the
governor is in favor OF a state refinery.
they base this declaration not on any
open Statement the governor has made
on; the state oil refinery proposition,
but upon his general declaration in op-
position 70 the trust. made in his mes
sage and in his Kansas day speech.
-Adhc III odlQ lAS
governor, "a plan for the state TO es-
tablish an experimental refinery to see
whether it could refine oil at profit.
/ figured. that it you'd perhaps be wise
for the state. to spend 5000 or $4,000
on an experimental plant, but I have
never suggested TO any one that we
Should Build big commercial rein
cry right on the jump. The state has
experin1ented with many things in the
past. 1t had silk farm in my county.
1t wanted to find out if silk could be
produced in Kansas at a profit. 1t
found out that it could mot. 1t is all
the time making experiments of one
kind or another. Perhaps an expert
ment in oil production would be good
thing. If it were demonstrated by
small experimental refinery that mon
ey could be made in the enterprise
with a square deal in freight rates and
other things. then private capital
might seek Investment in independent
refineries. If private capital were
afraid to tackle the proposition, and
there could be no other way out, then
the state could go into the business on
big scale. But the experiment
should be made first