The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-28

1 HOnRO0n.
| full American who takes pride in
| the commonly accepted theory that the
| United States was the first country In
| the world to produce petroleum ana
an oil trust must humble himself be-
| fore the unbusiness-like Burmese. For
more than two hundred and hfty years
| the business OF producing and renning
| petroleum oils and bi-proaucts mas
| been pursued in Burma by a trust
which was so close q corporation that
| IL might well give points even TO the
beloved Standard Oil itself. That an
Client trust has not terminated, al
| though 1t has undergone two great
changes in form, and within the last
| two years the Burma OIL Company
emerged from two years pattle-royai
with Mr.. John D. Rockefeller's COR
noration with it's colors brayely flying
ana the laurels of victory set about
tie greasy brow. Incidentally, 1t may
ha mentioned that the oil industry Is
| the most important in Burma and tnat
II is a source of great and growing
| wealth. x,...
About the time that the inhabitants
NJ Massachusetts were reduced 70
nittance of five grains OF corn for
trhanksgiying Dinner. Burmese gen
| sus whom tradition declares was
/ ,,,oman. conceived the notion OF digging
| sor- eli. A ,crude. ,waxy petroleum nao
| been SKINNED on the tops OF snailow
ponds and used both Tor IuDrlcat ~ =
msraorv Of man runneth not to the
contrary. But the digging Idea was
= stroke OF genius. Pits were SUNK
Ito the ground and the oil-sand
Servings discovered. These pits were
sunL deeper and deeper. until tney
| went down $50 or 500 feet wen WEI ~
down into the pits with buckets 70
aother I'm the oil, and were hauled up
Win their freight at the end OF rope
20 the other extremity of which was
| attached a yoke of bullocks OF mai
dc-an men in harness. The bullocks.
or the men, ran down Tong inciIneu
nIane and pulled up the rope over a
creased wooden bar. even te ~
| lass was unknown. The gases IN tns
MI were> so foul that no man could
remain below for q longer time thar
tbrea or four, minutes. Naturally tne
process Of oil production was SLOW OUT
1t paid. .. NOS a.sm-
ed wise to keep the business IN
AZ neiqhbors knew that was going on
The Family had acquired all the pro-
| nar.v In the district where OIL was
known To exist. After several gem
erations the family grew to be SO nun. =
erous that a more distinct FORM OF
organization was necessary. Tnus cam. .s
into existence the close corporation Oh
~ "Yova" There were twenty-four
e. y,,,ies represented. and the partici-
| ..ttor IN the rights of the Yoya de-
sscandea In strict order OF primogeni-
tire 10 the eldest son In the eighteen
families OF which the male line wa
head. and to the eldest oaughteI ~
the remaining six families IN WING"
the female line ruled. r,.
Tho head of each OF these families
nos known as Twin-sa-yo, ana tne
twentv-four elected one OF their mum
~ 70 he President under the title OF
I in-ayt-min. A well-digger, Twin-sa
had to apply for permission D one OF
the Yoya families for permission 10
sinlx a well. That permission, II grant
sd was subject to the approval OF the
President. who was thus empowered TO
limit the supply Of oil to the conoltion
Of the market.
r. was not long before the members
Of the Yoya had too much money 70
permit them TO soil their hanos WIZ
work. so the Twin-sa or diggers, were
sdmItted from the outside, given wells
and permission to dig. Such an "inde'
cerdent" we'll had to pay fixed roy
eitv 70 the Yoya, and also had to sell
its entire product to the same cor
poration--an arrangement bearing
striking resemblance to that imposed
I upon 'lnuepeHucHe va
later days and distant lands.
After a long time the Yoya became
40 rich and powerful That 1t was
menace to the State, having almost az
much power as the petty King or Mand.
alay in whose dominions the oil helc
was located. Being unfettered by con
stitutional restrictions or bothersome
political machinery, King Mindon stepp'
ed In and constituted a Royal OIL Mono
molly. He left the Yoya In possession
OF it's ancient rights and told the cor
poration and the world that the pro
duction of oil must remain independent
But he required. in the interest OF the
public welfare, that all the oil shoulS
be sold to him at price which M
, fxed. That was in 1856, Just at tn
dawning of the Age OF Petroleum IL
: the United States. King Mindon coul'
not possibly have copied any west
j ern ideas in this movement, whateve
precedent he may have established 70
; the guidance OF those who hold thu
petroleum business in trust for the u.s.
But the British advance swept owe
King Mindon's realm ana put an en'
TO his power. In his stead. so far a
the oil business was concerned. Their
arose and reigned proper British
ioint stock company. the Burma Oh
/: Company. That concern left the Twin
2 a. in possession OF their property, bu
bought and vended the oil. Finally tn
r experiment Of drilling deep wells wit
u shaft drills, in the European fashior
l. was tried. The result was a practice
!. failure Then American aid was sough