Evening star., 1915-06-06
IS MAKING STUDY
OF OIL INDUSTRY
Mexican Commission Repre-
senting Gen. Carranza Ar
rives in Washington.
WILL USE INFORMATION
TO BENEFIT OWN COUNTRY
War-Ridden Republic Said to Be
Third in Petroleum Producing
Countries of World.

The technical commission sent by First
Chief Carranza to the United States to
study the oil industry is now in Wash
ington. The commission has visited the
various government departments having
to do with the handling Of petroleum,
including the geological survey. the
bureau of mines and the interstate COM
merce commission.
The members are unanimous in ex-
pressing appreciation Of the manner in
which they have been received by the
American officials and at the hearty CO.
operation given them in their efforts to
work out solution of the problems fac
ing Mexico. now the third greatest oil
producing country of the world.
I'VE have been received with the
greatest of courtesy" said Senor Rouaix
''and feel that our stay in Washington
has helped us to understand the practical
workings of this great industry in the
United States.
We expect to be accompanied on our
trip by several representatives of the
bureau of mines and geological survey
or experts recently in the employ of these
departments, who may subsequently enter
the service of the Mexican government
l.
Americans will go with us into the great
oil-producing regions and to visit the
great refneries"
Will Visit Other Cities.
The commission spent some days in
New York before coming to Washington
and from here will go to Baltimore
Philadelphia. Pittsburgh and Chicago to
inspect the large refineries and learn the
most improved methods of handling crude
petroleum and extracting therefrom the
various products 1t is composd of En-
gineer Pastor Rouaix. subsecretary of the
department Of fomento colonization and
industry. chairman Senior Don Salvador
Gomez, chief clerk of the bureau of mines
and mineral oils. and Engineer Modesto
C. ROLAND. secretary of the commission
Engineer Jose Nazquez Schiaffino and
Senior Ignacio Moran. assistants, and
Luis F. Seoane, private secretary of
Senor Rouaix.
In discussing the purpose Of the COM
mission. Senior Rouaix said: Ever since
the revolution of the Mexican people
took the form of a government, Venus
tiano Carranza. the first chief. has
taken special care that all the foun-
tains of wealth of the nation should
be studied in detail He has done this
that some means of making them pro-
ductive to the nation whole might
be devised. thus changing them from
merely enormously profitable monopo-
lies to sources of national wealth.
Notes Rapid Development.
In less than four years Mexico has
become the third oil-producing coun-
try in the world. The government
found itself handicapped because the
q! industry was controlled by few cor
porataons. The government also found it
self without any statistical, technical
or administrative data to judge the i'm
portance and to legislate with perfect
knowledge of the oil industry.
"On this account Mr.. Carranza form
ed technical commission, to make a
special study and gather all the data
possible concerning the oil industry, to
examine the oil fields on the ground it
self, look into their products, the ways
of operating them, etc, and as soon as
the matter was thoroughly investigat-
ed to propose laws and regulations to
be enacted for the future development
and protection of the industry in an
endeavor to make it profitable for the
owner. the country and its govern
ment.
After the investigation made by this
commission in the oil fields of the Mex
lean gulf coast, Gen. CarranZa directed
that the commission should proceed to
the United States in order to make a
study of the laws concerning the oil in
dustry here and to see the practical ap-
plication of them, so that a fair knowl-
edge of their advantages and inconveni-
ences could be had
Study of Commercial Side.
While in New York the commission
its activities to the study of the
commercial side of the oil industry and
to visiting the refineries In this city it
has gathered all possible data from the