Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-03
SHOULD CO EASY UPON
CONSERVATION MATTER
Eminent Writer Urges That Popu-
lar Sentiment Be Weighed
Before Passing Judgment

Those who advocate the policy of
conservation Lave much argument up
on their side 60 they insist that the
natural resources of the nation should
not be ruthelessly wasted nor de-
stroyed, says the California OIL World.
Such sentiment appeals, because 1t Is
appealing to the patriotism of every
inhabitant who realizes that the bet
tering of the United tSates is the
lettering of each Of its citizens, those
now living and those yet to be born.
But how m conserving shall pe
done and how it shall be carried into
effect are questions upon which we
can all honestly and patriotlcalIy
differ.
If it be admitted that natural re-
resource does not need governmental
conserving where there is no waste
nor useless consumption, it must De
admitted that California's oil terri
tories should be left out of the pro-
gram, for, in so far as production
and consumption of our oil is con-
cerned, the matter is self-regulating.
No more oil is going to be taken from
the strata containing it than there is
use for and it will not be contended
that enough to supply the pupncs
requirements should not be drawn from
the measures as needed.
SCSA-NA
under a regime of conservation, the
same amount practically of this form
of wealth would be consumed, that Is
t. say, whatever might be demanded
by industries and commerce. III II
be said that such is not the case at
the present moment, the reply can be
returned that whatever code OF law
or conditions of society prevailed, new,
great and unexpected gushers, to which
the over production is attributable,
would bring about the same emoar-
ressment of oil riches.
Petroleum lands should not be classed
with forests in their adaptabillty to
the novel treatment proposed, for pc
troleum does not reproduce. The pro-
cess of denudation can have no coun-
terpart in the extraction of oil. There
is a certain and positive quantity OF
oil beneath the surface which can not
be cultivated, nurtuRed, nor conserved
as can trees, and to extract II all
would have no secondary effect similar
to that resulting from the destruction
of forest covered water Sheds
WILL BE PROTECTED
Those who discuss conservation as
applied to oil lands, should remember
to take into consideration at all times
the fact that the public, winch is
SYNONYMOUS with the government, will
be protected in any event. All that
conservationists deserve is a not too
copious use amounting to recklessness.
That can not take place in oil prob
ably except temporarily, but should
such be the case permanently, the oil
must necessarily be obtained the more
cheaply and the government (pub1c)
bv usinr- it would be enabled the more
readily to convert it into other forms
of wealth. To the government this
would mean a true equation as there
would be no reduction whatever in ac-
tual values Less oil there would be
f. the ground b. more industries, bet
ter and bigger towns and cities, better
streets and roads, increased foreign
and internal commerce, advanced pros
perity in all lines with general eXten-
sion of the comforts and happiness of
men and women-these would result,
AS a matter of whole truth, If Cali
fornia oil were, say, dirt" cheap and
continued so, such an empire of bust
ness and industries would be built up
on this coast as would be considered
the marvel of the earth, recompensing
the nation a thousand fold for the
loss of its oil.
But this cannot be the event be-
cause dirt che1Q oil will not be pro-
duced. Oil will be produced only at
a profit and will be bought only at a
profit and these two facts will keep
the use without wastefulness at ap-
proximately a rational amount. Yet
the conservationists by urging the
Withholding and the doing out of land
in parcels and driblets would have the
government interfere and set up a
false condition whereby the people
(government) would lack opportunity
to make the best of one of their most
valuable possessions, namely the
crude fuel of California.