The Washington times., 1915-12-19
Legislation Sought to
Save Great Oil Field
By JUDSoN c. WELLIVER.

The appeal which has been made 20
Congress for relief of the California
oil industry represents wider and
larger interest than is generally ap-
preciated. California Is the greatest
oil producing State in the Union. and
the Government is trying to recover 40
per cent of the producing properties I'm
the State.
This recovery is not sought on the
ground that there has been any fraud
against the public domain. II is not at
tempted on the assumption that tnc
Government has any moral right to take
the property back from the men who
have invested many millions In its de-
velopment on the supposition that they
were entirely within their rights and
the law.
Many Face Ruin.
Rather. the Government is trying TO
take back these lands in spite of all
the admitted equities, merely because
of q technical condition that has arisen
under the closo decision given by a
bare majority of the Supreme Court.
If the suits that have already been
started shall be pursued to the technical
decision that seems inevitable, 1t will
bring Tlin to about go operating com
pennies and many thousands OF their
innocent stockholders, all over the
It viii bring disaster to every busi-
ness interest in the West that has any
relation to oil; and this practically
means the whole business structure OF
the Pacific coast.
A number OF corporations have al
ready been wrecked; thousands OF men
, have been thrown out of employment;
Canking interests have been seriously
= hag a.
| tho production of oil has been greatly
reduced, and manifold lines of nusi-
! ness, seemingly unrelated, but In tact
dependent on the prosperity of the oil
/ business have been affected adversely
Prices Inflated.
In such a chaos. with no unpatented
! claim safe from the danger of attack
! nobody cares to deal even in the sound
! est of claims unless fnal patents nave
been secured. The marketing oil COM
! panies decline to buy from the produc-
/ crs who are Liable to attack. Producers
! who are perfectly confident OF tneli
rights are experiencing as much oI'
! fculty as those who are menaced, pe'
cause the refining and marketing con-
Germs have no way to direrentiate'
! The community at large sufters oN
| reason of the inflated price Of oil re-
sulting from these conditions. the
Pact1C coast Is perhaps hOiS oSPo
ent on cheap oil than any other par
OF the country: It means fuel power
steamship operation.
All these conditions are well KNOW
ard easily understandable. II mlgh
| possibly be contended that these Wer'
minor misfortunes. incident TO the ~,
nortant affair Of conserving the OIL nela
But, as a matter of fact, the oil nelS
Is in danger OF being ruined rather thai
saved. This Is one of the most serlou
aspects.
Conservation Impossible.
The oil men who have come to Wash
ington to urge their case before Con
gress explain this situation in a manne
that has deeply impressed public men
IT is physically impossible to conserv
the oil. because alternate sections are pat
cpted and being operated without cues
ton The whole country Is thus checker
boarded I'm alternating sections OF pat
ented and unpatented. operating an
idle oil lands. OH flows underground
seeking its level aud when the Govern
, mont STOPS DEVELOPMENT on one section
the oil under Il Is drawn away TO IN
| surrounding sections where the pump
ing Is still going on. The operator WI
has a patent is privileEod to pump ou