The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-02-02
AN UNMISTARABLE DUTY.

ment and the people Of Oklahoma
should unite without delay IN carry
ing to successful conclusion in the
Legislature bin that will actually
conserve the natural gas resources Of
this state. The time has arrived when
any improper interference with the
passage Of such measure should re-
celye the rebuke It deserves.
The waste u natural gas In okla
homa has grown to the magnitude Of
high crime SO state Is richer than
Oklahoma In natural gas yet this gas
has not been * not being utilized for
Industrial purposes II is estimated
that in the Gushing field alone the
daily waste NJ natural gas is cQulya-
lent 10 four hundred standard cur
loads NJ coal Lack Of conservation
has robbed Oklahoma uf enormous
revenues from the sale Of natural gas.
and prevented the establishment of
industries that would have greatly
enriched the state. Capital win not
undertake the building Of pipe lines
nor the erection Of factories depend
ent upon natural gas II there Is I'm.
certainty about the permaucucy of
the gas supply.
The oil producer Is the chief enemy
Of natural gas conservation Natural
gas is hlndrance 10 his business
and is " no value to him. lie seeks
10 rid his oil wells Of natural gus as
quickly as possible, regardless " all
questions Of economic waste, He con
tributes to the maintenance Of leg
islatlvc lobby to prevent the enact
ment Of laws that would compel oil
producers to conserve the gas In their
wells. He is engaged In that sort
of thing at this time and II he should
he able to prevail upon the present
assembly there will no real Legislation
for the conservation Of natural gas
The oil producer may hardly b'
blamed for this attitude He is sim
ply taking care " his own business
Just as the people should protect theil
business aud the states business.
The average citizen Of oklahoma Il
wholly ignorant Of the vast amount
Of wealth that Is vanishing through
lack Of gas conservation The surface
waste In single wells that have
daily flOw Of from ten to sixty mil
lion cubic feet Is so great as to ta'
the Imagination, yet this loss Il moth
ing compared to what Is actually tax
ing place.
Experts In the natural gas business
acquainted with the situation In OK
lahoma. declare without hesitation
that as commercial commodity OK
lahOma's natural gas Is worth to The
state more than It's crude petroleum
despite the fact that the 1914 outpu
Of crude oil was approximately on'
hundred million barrels Rrlefly, thli
statement Is based upon the showing
that the oil industry benefits only I
limited number u persons the hull
Of the earnings passing quickly TO In
vcsturs In outside states, while TN
conservation and development Of IN
natural gas resources would bull,
and feed industries inside oklahoma
Natural gas may he conserved b
confining Il to the stratum that pre-
duces H. This may he done In on
or two ways, the preferable way, AZ
cOrdlug to these experts being ths
OF the United States government
whereby the stratum Ia sealed wit
mud. According to the depth Of N
well, this cost Of conservation ma
amount to as much as $1,000, ..n e.
pense that the oil producer natural
does not wish to incur as he has d
use for the gas.
II the only waste were at the mout
of the well, the situation would /
bad enough. Hut this Is the least
the loss As the hydrostatic pressul
decreases 10 wells from which the &,
Is permitted to escape, the bulk
the bulk Of the gas supply is said
begin wandering into other strat
and formations migrating and disa
pearing beyond recovery
This 10 what is happening to Okl
homa's natural gas How much hi
been lost In this manner Is beyol
computation. Unless the remainll
gas Is saved and stored for future (
dustrial purposes, In few years Il
state deliberately win have throw
away enough fuel energy to supp
an empire for long period Of yea,
THIS failure Of the people OF O
lahoma to perform u public duty
attended by what experts declare mi
result IN even greater disaster. II
suspected that this migrating gus
time win penetrate tire bituminC
coal measures, and II this should h,
psn the greater portion Of the RI
roai fields Of Oklahoma win becOl