Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-08-11
ATTORNEY CEN.
IN FUNNY DEAL
NEST WOULD LIMIT THE SALE OF
AATI RAJ GAS IN
OKLAHOMA.
WRITES TO ALL CANDIDATES
rrlci,ed JEALOUSY ~ West side T.
Behind This Suspicious Move
On Nests Part.

A movement evidently engendered
ln oklahoma City and other West Side
towns. Jealous ~ the bountiful supply
~ natural gas IN eastern oklahoma
ttat Us enabling Tulsa and other towns
lo secure infant ndustri 3" hiss been
SCI ON foot through Attorney Genera
West 10 limit the gas producers IN
selling their production ~ natural gas
o. whom they please.
Mr West has taken the liberty a.
send letter 10 each "nadldate for
tl,r state Legislature nominated At the
pr.m rs, settling forth his Views about
the matter and asking the co-opera-
ton of the next Legislature 10 frame
BIN that would put cities ~ tho
West Side. who have no natural gas,
ou the same plane with the prosper
. ous cities ~ this part of the state
while ostensibly Mr. West IL dealing
with the selling OF gas To pipe lines
b. is trying 20 prevent the sale of
/ cheap gas 10 manufacturers
4 copy of his letter sent 90 G.. II.
J Cleveland, republican candidate for
lhc legislature from Tulsa county and
ar Cleycland's reply follow. They
/ are explanatory.
oklahoma Ciiy OKLA. Aug /. 1912.
/ ] ear Sir
As "a candidate for nomination 10
7 the next state legislature ] want "a
call your attention To the subject Of
/ Laws for the conservation Of natural
F gas.
/ The conservation of natural gas IS
/ Particularly important to this state
/ because of the absence from II Of fire
wood and the existing great expense
| n coal In the state. while I believe
| that crude oil will In time be used II
7 tas not yet become practical enough
TO take the place Of coal and wood.
/ consequently in large part ~ the
state the only adequate fuel for house
use and for lighting and cooking is
ges. Most OF the natural gas that is
/ Ivoduoed In this state. however is not
/ Used for the house, but quite a little
ot II IL used In smelters, glass factories
and other Industrial pursuits. In or
/ der for Il to be go used II has to be
| sold at very cheap figure. For in
stance whereas. the wash woman pays
/ 2. cents per 900 feet for her gas
/ In Bartlesville. the smelter pays only
8 cents. This would seem very un-
| fair to the poor. but there IS some
/ thing TO be said in favor OF II. be-
cause the largest part, ! could estimate
/ three -fourths. Of the natural gas OF
/ the state ls taken out OF the state by
! large Interstate pipe lines particularly
| the Kansas Natural. and Of what they
/ IKE out good deal more than half
/ g sold for manufacturing purposes
/ II the producers did not sell to the
] smelters at home they would have TO
| Il to the Kansas Natural. The smell
/ ter pays him cents, while the Kan
sa, Natural pays him or cents. and
| therefore TO forbid the producer TO sell
/ his gas to the smelter without making
some further changes In the situation
would apparently by very unjust
The legislature OF 1907-S passed a
| law prohibiting the taking Of natural
Gas out Of the state. You remember
the litigation over this question, and
While three members Of the supreme
court OF the United states decided
/ with us, the balance and majority
were against us. The court held. how
ever that the state OF oklahoma has
the right to conserve It's gas by pro-
hibitng the taking of excessive
amounts and by prescribing essential
means for its control and while they
did not pass upon It, an action against
discrimination In the sale of gas
might always be sustained
What the litigation has taught me
and what l want you to consider is
whether the next legislature ought not
to pass a law prohibiting the taking
OF more than n certain per cent OF
the potential capacity Of the wells at
any one time II this were done large
has companies could not exhaust the
: wells OF their neighbors as well as
their own as rapidly as they are now
doing Consequently laws against the
use Of compressors OF more than n
certain size should be passed Just as
at the present time the law prohibits
the piping OF gas at greater pressure
than 500 pounds in any one pipe; and
also something should be done to-
wards regulating the price Of It 50
that IL would be same for everyone
and yet so that the gas producer may
have a market for his gas other than
the big interstate pipe line companies
In order TO take steps towards the
proper solution OF these problems, I
met in Topeka on the 3Oth OF July
NTH the officials OF Kansas, the Off
Gals OF Kansas City and OF the rep
rcscntatives OF many Of the gas COM
panies At my motion that meeting
recommended that the corporation
commission Of oklahoma, the public
Utilities commission OF Kansas and
the public utilities commissions Of
Kansas City, St Joseph and Joplin get
together and see what can be done.
want to get YOU Interested in that
meeting and would like to have you