The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-09-01
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Greater Era of Development is Just
Ahead in the Oil FiG Ids.


energies of the players and warps the
judgment.
Former Governor Lee Cruce has
been made chairman of committee
to file complaint with the corpora
ton commission asking tlat a mini
mum price be fixed on Healdton oil.
The committee has held a meeting
and is beginning its activities along
the line of seeking to harmoniZe the
conditions that exist, instead of max
ing them worse. Mr.. Cruce is by tenn
perament well fitted to handle the
situation. He himself is a good busi
ness man, he is able to look at the
situation from the other mans point
of view, and it is the opilion Of many
that he can take hold of affairs, and
if he is given the cooperation of the
producers, he will guide the field out
of the darkness it is in now and into
happier conditions and letter price.
1t is important to Aclmore that
business men of cool Judgment and
with proper respect for the feelings
of others take the lead. 1t is import
ant, for the reason that the only
chance which Ardmore has of being
an oil town is to build up the for
tunes of the local men who are in
the business Oil men who have
homes and offices in Tulsa will not
move here. Ardmore can be made
the headquarters of the oil business
in the southern portion Of the state,
but not of the whole state. Many re-
fneries are in Tulsa. A pipe line into
Tulsa from the southern fields will
have connection with the purchasers
there who own refneries and will
also be in touch with all the southern
and eastern pipe lines. We must be
content to see Tulsa remain state
headquarters while we work to build
up the oil fortunes of local people
and keep Ardmore in position to re-
main headquarters for the southern
portion OF the state The oil activi-
ties for several years how will be
confined largely to the southern por-
ton of the state. A vast deal of
development work will be done here.
Drilling is now being carried on in
Jefferson, Stephens, GaTvin, Carter,
Marshall and Love counties, and Ard
more can easily retain its place as
headquarters for these counties. 1t
is important that refineries be located
here so that pipe lines from new fields
will be built into this city and our
position through their establishment
will be made permanent.
Local operators in the fields ought
to be able to read the signs of the
times and to learn from them that
present conditions will rot remain
very long. The McMan company is
now running four string o. tools and
is completing well every five days.
The Corsicana Petroleum company is
operating four strings of tools and
this company is also con pleting a
well about every five days. Gunsburg
& Forman, ]. E. Crosbie end others
among the larger companies are be-
coming active in development work.
The story published some days ago
about the construction of 115 rigs was
not a myth. No reasonable man eX-
poets these rigs to spring up like so
many mushrooms, but they will be
built within six months from now,
and many others, besides them, will
be built These companies that are
active at this time realize that there
are not market facilities to justify
this activity. They are not spending
their money for the mere fun of it |
They are planning to make bigger
money out OF their holdings, and |
their plans for the future have been |
mapped out, and they are working to
them. What these plans are we are
not able to say from information re-
ceived, but a study of the situation
as it exists reveals this: That these |
big companies are not going to sell
their oil at the ridiculous price of |
thirty cents. Oil is worth more and |
they will work to get the market price
which ought to be something like 60c,
and will be dollar by the first of
January. All these wells are not
being drilled with hopes for a mar
ket, based upon the one siA-inch line
which the Magnolia has In the field.
Neither are these companies figuring
on the Gainesville line caring for their
production. They are in all probabil-
ity making their plans to build great
tank farms. They will store their oil
or a better market. The man who
buy storage will get better
runs because of the storing of oil in
steel by others.
The field has been held back, wait
ng for the man who could not handle