Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-07-30
". Oil
Fields of
Burma.

hANGOON, burmd.-InaL
American who takes pride in the COM
monty accepted theory that the United
States was the first country in the world
to produce petroleum and an oil trust,
must humble himself before the unbusi-
ness-like Burmese. For more than two
hundred and fifty years the business OF
producing and refining petroleum oils and
bi-products has been pursued in Burma
by a trust which was so close a corpora
ton that it might we'll give points even
to the beloved Stanard OIL itself. That
ancient trust has not terminated, al
though 1t has undergone two great
changes in form, and within the last
two years the Burman OIL company
emerged from a two-years' battle-royal
with Mr.. John D. Rockefeller's corpora
ton with it's colors bravely flying and
the laurels of victory set about its
greasy brow. incidentally, IL may be
mentioned that the oil industry is the
most important in Burma and that II
is source of great and growing wealth.
About the time that the inhabitants of
Massachusetts were reduced to a pittance
of FIVE grains of corn for a Thanksgiv-
ing dinner, a Burmese genius, whom ira
dition declares was a woman, conceived
the notion of digging for oil. A crude,
waxy petroleum had been skinned OFF
for fabrication and illumination since
time when the memory of man runneth
not to the contrary. But the digging
idea was a stroke of genius. Pits were
sunk into the ground and the oil-sand
springs discovered. These pits were sunk
deeper and deeper, until they went down
$50 or 300 feet. Men went down into the
pits with buckets to gather up the oil,
and were hauled up with their freight at
A. = g. 10 81 owrfr omit
OF which was attached a yoke Of bullocks
or a half dozen men In harness. The
bullocks, or the men, ran down a long
inclined plane and pulled up the rope
over a creased wooden bar. Even the
windlass was unknown. The gases in
the pit were so foul that no man could
remain below for longer time than three
or four minutes. Naturally the process
of oil production was slow. but 1t paid.
As a paying proposition II was deemed
wise to keep the business in the family OF
the original genius. Before the neigh
bors knew what was going on, the fam
fly had acquired all the property in the
district where oil was known to exist.
After several generations the family grew
to be so numerous that more distinct
form of organization was necessary. Thus
came into existence the close corpora
ton of the "Yoya" There were twenty
four families represented, and the par
ticlpation in the rights OF the Yoya de-
scended in strict order Of prfmogeniture
to the eldest son in the eighteen families
of which the male line was head, and
to the eldest daughter in the remaining
six families In which the female line
ruled.
The head of each Of these families was
nj "a a.
elected one of their number to be presi.
dent under the title of Twin-gyi-nin. A
well-digger, Twin-sa, had to apply for
permission to one of the Yoya families
for permission to sink well. That
permission, II granted. was subject to
the approval of the president. who was
thus empowered to limit the supply Of
oil to the condition of the market.
1t was not long before the members
of the Yoya had too much money
to permit them to soil their hands
with work, so the Twin-sa, or diggers,
were admitted from the outside, given
wells and permission to dig. Such an
independent" we'll had to pay a fixed
royalty to the Yoya, and also had to
sell its entire product to the same cor
poration-an arrangement bearing
upon independent oil producers in
later days and distant lands.
After a long time the Yoya became
so rich and powerful that it was
menace to the state, having almost as
much power as the petty king of Man
dalay in whose dominions the oil field
was located. Being unfettered by consti-
tutional restrictions or Dothersome poll
teal machinery, King Mindon stepped
in and constituted a royal oil monopoly.
He left the Yoya in possession of its
ancient rights and told the corporation
and the world that the production Of
oil must remain independent. But he
required, in the interest Of the public
welfare, that all the oil should be sold
to him at a price which he fixed. That
was in 1856, just at the dawning Of the
age of petroleum in the United States.
King Mindon could not possibly have
copied any western ideas in this move