Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-21
COMPROMISE IS
REACHED IN US.
OIL CONTROVERSY
Development of Oil Reserve
Assures Ample Supply for
Nations War Needs

WASHINGTON. u. {. Aug 10
Opening Up OF hundreds Of thousand j
OF acres OF rich Oil lands, including III"
famous Mum Der Two Naval Reserve ,
Is assured by an agreement just reach
ed between the opposing groups OF
FenatOIs who, by their differences
Lave held UP oil legislation tor year.
and representatives OF the Navy De
partment
The development OF these dig OIL
fields, known to be very rich. and
which were withdrawn from entry
and development by President TAFT,
will add, it is estimated, not less han
II per cent to the country OIL pro-
ductiOn
Senators Interested said today hat
tins development makes 1t practically
certain there will be no prohibition
against the use OF automobiles for
pleasure. This development. they de
clare, solves the British Nays Oil
problem. made acute by the situation
in the Tampico fields.
1t insures an adequate supply Of
gasoline for the myriads OF motor
trucks which our army will need and
for the thousands of aeroplanes which
are to be a part Of Americas contri
button to the war.
SoIons Surrender.
The compromise represents a sur
render on the part of the senators
who have been fighting for or against
any recognition Of the legality OF the
federal leasing system. The bill as it
Is now drawn has the approval of
every senator interested in oil legis-
lation, save two, Senator'S Hustin OF
Wisconsin and Norris of Nebraska
The deadlock which President Will
son failed to solve last year between
the house and senate, has been bro.
ken by the complete surrender of the
senators favoring state rights. Sem
ator Pittman Of Nevada, who, under
the agreement, has been given charge
Of the bill by Chairman Myers of the
Public Land committee, declared to-
day that the bill would pass the SEN
ate in three days after it was taken
up.
This, he said, would be due princi-
pally to the fact that such senators as
Smoot Of Utah, Shafroth and Thomas
Of Colorado and Mark Smith of Ari.
sona, who have been fighting the fed
.eral leasing scheme for years, have
agreed to let the bill In its present
form 60 through.
The compromise agreement provides
for the opening up Of the big soil fields
for leases to private operators, giving
the preference to those operators who
discovered oil2on the lands and those
who have developed in good faith.
Aside from the far reaching conse.
quences of the measure as affecting
the shortage Of oil for ships and loco
motives and gasoline, the feature of
the controversy which has attracted
the most attention Is the fight to
mainain a naval Oil reserve. The
field known as No. in California,
under the plans, OF Secretary OF the
Navy Daniels, has been laid aside to
be reservoir for naval oil, not to be
touched for twenty-five years. Sena
tors who have opposed this plan as.
sert that as there are now 800 wells
on parts Of this tract. the mere fact
that no more wells could be bored
would not result in saving the wells
for a such q period of time, with tho
result that at tie end of the twenty
five years the navy would have To
pump out the little oil remaining.