The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-25

PRICES HAVE DROPPED AND OIL
rs NOT IN DEMAND.
Standard OF Blamed for the Collapse Of
the BOOm-Th Ousands Of Men Idle
Hope stu OF Aid From Companies
Competing With the standard Oil.

Hope Stiil Of Aid From Companies
Competing With the standard Oil.
CHANuTE. Kan. June 24-Gloom covers
the oil fields of Kansas. The spirit Of 70
is no longer doing business at the old stand.
Kansas, or at least this end of it, is now
inclined to be sorry it spoke so harshly
about Standard Oil and il Mr.. Rockefeller
would intimate readiness to kiss and make
up, maybe that State refinery wouldn't be
built after all.
Kansas felt plenty OF confidence when it
started in to fight but it hadn't counted the
cost nor had it much Of an idea of what
the Standard Oil Company could do to it
when it wanted to. The only consolation
1t has is that maybe the Standard would
have kicked the ladder out from under it
anyway.
Here is what has happened: A year ago
the best grade Of Kansas oil brought $l.35 a
barrel. Now it costs 81 cents and is going
lower. A year ago fuel oil was easily dis.
posed of at IS cents barrel. Now it Is
pretty much of drug at II cents. Low
grade oils are down to 81 cents. about IS
cents below the price Of year ago. The
prospects are that the price will drop still
further.
With prices dropping steadily the bust
ness OF drilling new wells has almost stopped.
The promoters have folded up their tents
and left.
Kansas oil is being Disseminated against
by the Standard, whose favors are now
bestowed on the Indian Territory. The
weekly average run ont Of this district has
been tank for each Of the properties, but
the Standards gagers have developed
sudden and mysterious ailments and are
unable to work half the time. Over in the
Territory the Standard Is increasing tank
age capacity and doubling daily runs.
The art OF profanity Is being cultivated
by all the producers, and most Of the swear
ing is directed against the Standard For
weeks the producers have been declaring
that the Standard was simply loading up
with high grade Kansas oil at starvation
prices before the fuel pipe line was COM
p!eted and the independent refineries got in
Standard would have a tremendous lot Of
oil, secured at prices that represented
about the cost OF getting the oil to the top
Of the ground. II the independents try
to compete with their pipe line and their
reflneries, the producers say, the Standard
can cut the prices to point where the new
companies will be unable to do anything,
1t is charged that those producers who
did not take part in the anti-Standard
demonstrations of last winter or who have
political influence have been favored with
runs and fair prices, while the others arc
up against 1t. As result many of them
have shut down. Where from sixty to
eighty wells a month were being put down
in this district there are now only four or
five going in.
Many Of the producers are looking to the
Standard for relief. They believe that "a
soon as the, pipe line to Whiting, Ind, il
completed there will be loosening up Of
The market. Meanwhile many are throw
ing up their leases. much to the dismay Of
tho thrifty agricuturists who have moved
into town and have been living high OF
their oil farm royalties.
The stagnation has made thousands of
men idle. Field workers. gaGers. clerks
and bookkeepeTs are a drug upon the mar
ket, and many of those are leaving for other
points.
Many of these men are in bad shane
financially. They were caught in the oil
excitement Of n year ago, and most of their
savings have gone into oil stocks. il was
from the holders of oil stock that all of the
legislatiy agitation of last winter really
When the Standard began cutting down
it's takings and refusing all that did not give
a specific gravity of 30 degrees, 1t spelled
ruin for many of these companies. Tley
were operating In new fields, too, and
about rs per cent. Of their wells have proved
busters.
The gushers are few Ia number and