Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-20
SEES BIC MONEY
IN OIL FIELDS
EXPECTS THEM TO EXCEED
GOLD MINES
Representative of Standard Oil Says
Deposits Have Scarcely Been
Touched and the Industry
Will Grow

california will profit more from her
oil industry than she has from her gold
mines," said Col. e. H. Merrill of San
Francisco at the Hotel Angelus yes
terday.
Col. Merrill is the Pacific coast MAN.
ager of the Standard Oil company's
lubricating oil department, and his
views regarding the future of California
are as large in comparison as the con-
Germ which he represents. Col. Merrill
also is philosopher, as his talk later
developed
1.-THE oil fields of California scarcely
have been scratched" said the colonel,
land the industry, even as great as 1t
is today, is but in its infancy. But l
do not want to talk about OIL L am
in Los Angeles on my regular tour to
inspect the work in my department,
and the statement that there is some
thing doing in the oil industry is err
roneous.
"I would like to say something about
the relief work in San Francisco, or,
rather, concerning the Rockefeller and
Standard Oil relief funds of which l
have charge. These funds combined
amounted to $230000. The Rockefeller
we have vouchers for every dollar we
have expended
mo one connected with the distribu-
ton of the fund, with the exception of
those employed for the express pur-
pose of inquiring into applications for
assistance, receives a cent of remun-
Grafton and as a result there has been
no graft
Carefully Conducted
'The distribution of these funds has
been conducted on a business and
moral basis. Charity ill-distributed is
worse than no charity-it is a crime
Every application for assistance is in
vestigated and those unworthy of as
sistance receive nothing, while those
who do deserve assistance receive lib
orally and of the best that money can
buy.
First we look after the women who
were made widows by the disaster;
then the widows who are endeavoring
to raise families; girls who are sup
porting parents and lastly girls who
are struggling along alone. We want
to help the women In order to remove
the temptation or necessity of any of
them to take a step in the wrong di-
rection.
1--WE do not tender cash, but we find
their needs and then supply them.
one carload or sewing macnlneS tnuS
far has been given women who make
their livelihood by means of the needle.
If they need Shoes clothing, bedding
or food we send them the goods and
get a receipt. In few instances we
have bought tools for men, but prac-
tically all the work has been done for
the women. Men have strong hands
and no man has an excuse for being
out of work in San Francisco, but it
is the women-the girls-that we want
to care for.
"And we are doing this work of
charity with tainted money" conclud-
ed Col. Merrill, his voice plainly indi-
eating the scorn he entertained for
those who criticise the donors of the
funds of which he has charge.
The fact that Col. Merrill and K. r.
Kingsbury, a representative of the
Standard Oil company in New York,
were in Los Angeles yesterday con-
ferring with local representatives start
ed report that deal of some mag
nitude was on, but Col. Merrill declared
that his trip was of a routine nature,
while Mr.. Kingsbury was here purely
on a pleasure trip.