Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-12-06
NEED OF CONSERVATION COM.
MISSION.

Some idea of the Importance of a
Conservation Commission for Geor-
gia, of which our fellow townsman,
Mr. G. W. Glover, has been made a
member, can be gained from what is
going on in Louisiana According to
1 Gov. Blanchard, there is going to
waste every day enough natural gas
to light several cities, all to the end
that the owners of the property may
the sooner get at the oil which is
believed to be just back of the nat
ural gas deposit.
The New Orleans States says
In his address before the Conserva-
ton Commission at Washington on
/ Wednesday Ex-Governor Blanchard
astonished his hearers when he told
them that the greatest oil-producing
! well in the country is in the Jennings
oil field and that there is gas enough
going to waste every day in Caddo
to light several cities of the size of
Shreveport When asked why this
stupendous waste was permitted he
replied that the owners of the we'll
believe that when the gas is exhaust
ed oil viii appear They can get
money out cf OIL hence this selfish
interest is TO get rid of the gas as
quickly as possible
The consensus of opinion, upon
hearing this statement of the remark
able conditions III the Caddo oil
fields, was in favor Of the enactment
of laws in all the States denouncing
heavy penalties upon those who thus
permit the wasting of natural gas.
The waste referred to by Governor
Blanchard has been going on for
years, the owners calmly waiting for
the time to come when many mil
lions of dollars worth of natural gas
shall have been utterly lost to the
uses Of man, when they hope to be-
ing reaping a profit from the oil
which they expect to follow the flow
of gas. The explanation of the rea-
son why this prodigal waste of valu-
able natural resources has been sc
long permitted is an astonishing one
but doubtless it is the correct one
, That the estimate made by Ex-Goy-
ernor Blanchard of the magnitude OF
this waste is not overdrawn in fully
confirmed by the testimony of COM
petent judges. DR.. Leo Ubbelohde
one of the most distinguished petro-
/ leum experts in the world, has also
expressed great establishment that
, this waste has been permitted, and
; after investigating the situation in
that field he declared in a public
, interview that the "Caddo field is
pouring out into the air at least
, 700, 900 cubic feet of natural gas
! per day which is being absolutely
, wasted" That waste he estimates
} to be sufficient to supply ten cities o.
the size of Washington, d. c.
, In commenting upon that fact ht
: finds it strange that natural gas
distributors should go to great pains
and expense to collect natural gas
from the sparsely producing wells
in other sections and pump it tt
distant cities, and yet neglect the
Caddo field, the gas from which
would flow by it's own pressure tt
/ cities like New Orleans and Others
: hundreds of miles away. The ex
! PLANTATION of the problem which puz
) zles Professor Ubbelohde is supplied
by the statement made by Ex-Gover
! nor Blanchard before the Conserva
2 ton Commission Boiled down
; simply amounts to this; the oil hog!
{ nave ODIa1neQ control OF IlaI pOF
: ton of the Caddo field; they car.
nothing for the waste they ma.
: create in the State, their only inter
est in Louisiana being evidently tt
get the oil out as quickly as posi-
| BILE.
} From the rapacity of such hog
) the only protection lies in a Law
1 such as was suggested by the com
mission, heavily penalizing thos
who permit such waste to continu
, and providing that where this il
not effective, the State shall appro
pirate the property and take ever.
measure necessary to stop the waste
While Georgia is not suffering from
the particular kind of exploitation
which the States describes, there ar
other wastes of natural resources go
ing on in this state, or are threaten
ed When it is too late everybod
r except those who have profited by tn
ruthless destruction will regret il
should such conditions be permitte
to continue. A wide field of work 70
Georgia's new Commission is ahead
and one which will become more an
more important as the years go by
Gov. Smith has acted none too soor