The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-01-27
INTEREST
GROWS IN
PIPE LINE
PROJECT OFFERED BY
SENATOR GORE IS BE-
COMING POPULAR

Washington, d. C., Jan. PA
steady growing interest is beln.
manifested in Washington in tn.
meeting next Saturday night of Cont
missioner Sells OF the Indian offc,
and Lieut. Commander Boyd of the
navy to formulate a plan for the in
'estlgation of and report on the pro
posal to construct a government pipe
line from the Oklahoma oil fields t,
u polnt on the Gulf OF Mexico, pti
marily to furnish the government an
independent oil supply for the navy.
The senate, in ordering this inves
tlgation at the instance OF Senator
Gore, has fallen in line with the ex-
Itaordinary efforts that the leading
foreign nations are making to insure
to their respective navies an adequate
supply of the fuel, which is fast be-
] - '"St''Su lor Houtin bdtlitSulpS
| Those nations that have not a sur
fleient source of oil in the Balkans
are turning their attention to the
fields of Mexico and South America.
and even hte United States. Ger
many, II is asserted on high authority,
has had survey made of the Amer
lean oil fields. and at one time
negotiated with Texas and Oklahoma
OIL interests with view to contract
ING for an independent supply or
American Oil
But keenly interested as is the navy
department in the proposal now in the
hands for report by Commissioner
Sells and Lieut.. Commander BOYD, it
IS not as intense as is the popular
interest in the subject arising out Of
the hope and the belief that GOV
crnment oil line would naturally be |
come a common carrier and furnish |
an unqueslioned Independent pipe
llne and competitor which need never
stand in fear Of the powerful Standard |
Oil company. Vague estimates are
hazarded as to the physical character
OF sucn a government pipe line.
should the forthcoming investigation
recommend and result in its con
structon 1t is believed that nothing
short of an eight inch main, about 600
miles in length would be undertaken,
such a project costing. with the ter
minal plants and facilities at the
Gulf Coast approximately sl0,000,0co
Members of the Texas delegation
N congress are especially interested
n the proposal, because uhe Texts
,oast would be the logical and eco
lonlcal tidewater terminus for su.a
line. That would give Texas not
'nly 400 miles Of the pipe line with
jumping stations, hut create at The {
erminus great storage and refining {
'lants Necessary to fully utilize the \
'il as well as naval station Of great 4
mpor' ance
The strongest advocate of a GOV
rnment constructed and operated
'ipe line and oil refining plants is
secretary Daniels of the navy, mis- ]
recommendation to congress on this
olnf concluding as follows:
1T is advisable from every point Of
lew thar the navy should become a
roducer aud refiner Of oil for its own
Sc. by the time the Panama canal III
opened and the fleet begins fire.
renting the Pacific the navy shoullI
E producing its own oil from lhel
aYy petroleum reserves in the Elklv
Ills ana Buena Vista fields of Cali
rnia, and its refinery should be a
'eratlon. Prompt steps should alsol
, taken to lease oil lands in the
idcontlnent fields End to erect a
finery for the supply OF oil burning
ssels on the Atlantic coast. This
opposed step is no new departure.
r the navy now builds some of It's
N ships, maintains large industria
yy yards. a gun and a clothing fac
~ all of which are Indispensable
the supply OF superior articles for
2 navy and for the control of prices
I'M commercial concerns furnishing
nilar articles M