The Washington times., 1916-01-15
GAS BOOST SEEN IN
OIL LAND CLOSING
Frisco Consumers Would Pay
High II Government Took
Over Fields, Says Expert.

SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. 15.--curtsii-
nlent of the production OF the Cali
fornia oil fields, says John 4. Britton.
vice president and general manager
Of the Pacific Gas and Electric Com
pany. spells disaster for the gar husI
ness and the gas consumers OF Cali
fornia. Discussing the Federal Gov
ernmentE attempt 70 take over de-
veIoped California oil lands. repre-
sonting nearly so per cent of the total
oil production OF the State, Brbton
said:
II cannot imagine a greater calam
ity for the gas business and the Gas
consumers OF California than the redu"-
ton of the oil production of the state.
Meaning In Dollars.
San Francisco's annual gas bill ia
now about 100000 paid by approx.
mately 10000 consumers. An increase
of 10 per cent in the cost Of gas woul3
mean 100000 a year to the consumers
Of San Francisco alone; that is. an
average addition of 800 to the bill of
every consumer of gas in this city. Per
haps you can estimate from those AZ
ures what that 20 per cent reduction Ia
the available supply OF fuel for the
manufacture of gas would mean to the
consumers OF the State.
ut must be remembered that there Is
no bituminous coal In California. cal
gas is made from bituminous coal ONLY
Before the discovery of oil in Californ n
the consumers in this State paid about
50 per 900 feet for gasA With the ne-
velopment of q plentiful supply OF oil
| the price of gas went down steaclly un-
| I'll now 1t averages about S5 cents per
| LOO feet
IA reduction of the available oil sun
| ply such as is now threatened
could not fail to be entirely destructive
] of the gas business as II is now con-
Quoted we would be compelled TO re-
turn to the use OF coal for the manu-
| facture OF gas.
Consumer Would Pay.
without regard to tremendous e1-
pense involved in the necessary change
of apparatus and machinery the manu-
facturer of gas from coal would multi
ply the present cost to the consumer
''The state by its railroad commits
sion regulates the rates charged to gas
consumers and that commission ia
bound by the law to permit .pront ON
that the increased cost OF manufacture
| will be laid upon the purses OF the con-
Rumers in the shape of increased rates
| The whole California public and es-
genuine interest in this controversy"
Through series of amendments
adopted while 1t was sitting as a com
mittee Of the whole the House yester-
day adopted proposals of the Mineral
land leasing bill. which grants leasing
rights to oil operators in California and
| Wyoming fields.
| These operators were dispossessed by
President Taft's withdrawal of the
lands, and the Supreme Court upheld
| his action. Votes taken yesterday in
dicate the passage of the principal pro-
| visions of the bill on the final vote.
When the House adjourned as a COM
mittee of the whole II voted to resume
consideration 'of amendments today.
hundreds OF thousands of dollars of
private investments arc represented on
the lands in question. The provision
as accepted by the House in commit
tee Of the whole would grant no patents
but would permit the operators 10 con-
tinue their work on leases, under GER
tain conditions, which are said to be
satisfactory to them.
The bill now would permit the leas-
ing of unpatented oil and gas lands 10
all claimants who filed prior to July 3
1910, and who either developed wells o.
were actively engaged in work on Jan
uary l. 1914. Claimants would have Il
, surrender their lands to the United
States within six months after the pas
sage of the act, and then the Secretary
of the Interior would, in his discretion
grant leases. No person, association ol
corporation, however, would be permit
ted to lease more than $40 acres. Roy
, atty on the land would be not less thar
: one-eighth of the income from tht
: product