The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-11-30
LAND OWNERS MUST
DO THEIR SHARE
COMMITTEE in CHARGE or THE OIL
PROJECT WANT LEASES ON UN-
IMPROVED PROPERTIES = CLEAN
CUT INTERVIEW ON SITUATION.


proposition now before the people of
Clatsop county and Astoria. yesterday,
that gentleman made the following
statements, that are deemed Of public
interest and are given because OF their
timeliness and eogent bearing on The
live matter of TINT enterprise; Said be;
"Ihe more the question Of drilling
for these products IL studied the better
u looks; and the finding d gas by the
Old Oregon Mill people, at Warrenton.
makes the existence Of that particular
commodity practically certain in this
vicinity.
III We can only obtain a sufficient
number OF acres In the land leases, we
can, TO moral certainty. raise taeI
money for the work; but unless we can
do this we will not be able to do a.
thing. No far we have met with very
fair success, and yet there are many
large property owners holding back on
lands that are not worth anything In
any other way today. and that will not
be worth anything unless they are made
valuable through some such agency as
this, by wag Of developing the natural
resources that underlie them; and this
disposition to daily with an important
proposition Of this sort, should Qiye way
instantly to the urging of our com.
mittee.
1T is not desired that all the land
in the community shall be leased, but
1t 10 very essential that the holders Of
unimproyed and unproductive lands
shall lease portion Of them to the com
pany that has been formed in the n.
terest fthe general public, for the pur-
pose of bringing to light what Of dor
mant resouIce may be in them. Every
one wishes to see the matter tested, and
wishes for their neighbor to help but
too many of them are willing to let the
test be made at the expense Of the
neighbor and hoping that they viii,
themselves, be overlooked.
Selfish mortals exist In all communi-
ties. and the committee realizes that
there are some who never do help out in
any sort OF project or enterprise. and
who never will. and that we have no
more OF them than any other community.
These persons may be overlooked in
this instance, but there are. even yet.
a large number who are expected to do
their share, and if they fail, the PROPOSE
tion and all hope OF reward fall to the
ground.
In the East, where oil Is found, the
owners are glad to have the scope OF
the benefit exploited. and lease their
lands without urging. The leases we
have gotten up in this behalf, follow
the custom and tenor of those current
in the oil regions of the country; and ii
oil or gas is found, the owner of the
land. without injuring his property in
any way, without taking one cent from
its value, without affecting the title to
1t. is in position to reap a harvest Of
dollars far in excess of any other means
of increment, and that without the risk
of a single dollar he already possesses;
and he still has his fam, his stock and
his crops; The drilling for oil and gas, |
and the removal OF it from his land,
takes but paltry fraction OF space at
best and interferces in no way with the
ordinary work and processes of the
farm.
Suppose, for instance, an oil well
should be discovered on the farm, or
ranch, OF one Smith, that would pro.
luce so barrels OF oil per day. Accord
ing to the terms of our lease Smith |
would receive one-tenth of this after
Il Is sold. This would bring him six
iollars and half per day, and from
SlsO. to $500. every month, without his
risking one paltry dollar, with his place
still uninjured; and he might have half
\ dozen wells going at the same time
i he saw fit.
"Or say that medium sized gas well
. opened up. Say it produces only s.
100000 feet Of gas day, land this
would be a very small we'll, mind you)
t would bring him in eight dollars and
half a day and take up perhaps FIVE
eet square of his farm. The gas would
'e sold in this city for 80 cents per
thousand feet and the question of fuel
or the city would be settled for all
ime.
In Beaumont, Texas, after oil has
'een discovered, land values sprang from
EN- dollars to thousands of dollars per
lcre; and we hold in view of all this,
hat it is worth our while to go ahead
md make the test. The committee is
nthusiastic, but we are not going to
lttempt to raise the subscription to the
u
apital stock Of the Astoria Fuel Com.