Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-07-22
WOULD FORCE
OIL MEN TO PAY
RECORDING FEE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


There is no other alternative. 1t is
assumed by the court that develop
ment is one of the essentials if not
the essentials If not the essence of an
oil and gas lease regardless of the ex-
press terms of the lease.
The attorney general, in a recent
decision, has held that the state min
ing inspector has power to inforce
conservation measures covering tho
waste of natural resource and has
the power to fine and imprison an oil
operator whom they claim commits
a waste.
The last state legislature in house
bill No. l6S gave the corporation com
mission the authority to fine an oil
operator $4,000 and imprison him
thirty days for violating the conser,
vation law, which provides Nat oil
shall not be produced unless here is
a market "at the well'' for w oil.
state Had Authority.
The state also has the authority 70
place property operated in violation
of this law in the hands of a receiver
which is practically confiscation.
Now we have this situation: The
supreme court says the operator must
drill to hold his lease. If he gets q
well he is liable to fine, imprison-
ment, or receivership, as he has only
market for 60 per cent of his oil
and If he produces the oil as waste,
he is likely to fined by the state mine
inspector. If he don't drill he loses
his lease and If he does drill he gets
placed in the hands of a receiver. It
is certainly hard to see Just where the
oil producer is to land.
And on top of this we find Camp
bell Russell, backed by Democratic
politicians high the powers that be,
planning on increasing the gross pro.
duction tax to per cent and in ad-
dition adding a recording fee of 81
per acre on oil and gas leases
Under this last proposal it will be
impossible to place this tax againse
the millions of acrts already leased
but this proposed laH will require that
the recording fee must be paid before
leases can be tranferred. 1t also re
qurcs that leases can not be sub
mitted as evidence in q court of rec
ord unless the fee 0r tax" has been
paid.
Burden Is Unfortunate.
1t is unfortunate that this addition
al burden is about to be thrust upon
the oil country by the Democratic
party in this state. 1t is doubly un
fortunate that SO scientific a matter
as taxation should be the production
Of political reprisal and cheap politics
The. state Of Oklahoma appears to b0
desirous under the guidance of the
Democratic party to squeeze the last
dollar out of the oil business.
Already the gross production. tan
is paying practically the entir& ex-
pense OF the state government ana
thus allowing the Democrats to cry
that they have reduced the state levy,
but they don't say it has been reduced
at the expense of the greatest indus
try within the borders of the state.
On top Of this they now seek to tax
leases or make them pay recording
fee. There are now under lease for
oil and gas purposes in Oklahoma
some 100000 acres OF land. 1f
these Leases are made to pay a record
ing fee to the state 1t will mean some
s19,000,000 into the Golfers of Okla
hoha, the bill providing that one-half
goes to the state and the other half
to the county in which the lease is
recorded
II this becomes a law it will fur
ther restrict the leasing of land by the
Oil men. which is already being re-