New-York tribune., 1918-10-14
Mexico Is Worlds
Greatest Source
OF Oil i'm Future
Vast Flood of Petroleum
Held i'm Check by made
quate Marketing
Facilities

Mexico is to be tho worlds principal
source Of petroleum in the future, ac-
cording to leading oil trade interests
who are looking ahead to the time
when the great American oil reservoirs
will have been exhausted. Develop
ment work already done in Mexico,
where $30O,0OO,o00 of American and
British capital has been invested, of
which two-thrds is American. points
the way to q brilliant future for tho
oil fields Of that country after the war.
Rich oil bearing sands have been found
underlying hundreds of thousands of
acres Of land. Some wells have already
been drilled that are gushing liquid
wealth ut the rate of 10000 barrels or
more a day.
Oil men say that only the surface
has been tapped, and J. D. Northrup,
United States government oil expert,
conservatively estimates that the Mex
lean fields have an annual capacity OF
250, 100000 barrels of crude oil.
Unable to Market Output
The attainment of this output is,
however, dependent upon proper mar
keting facilities. A recent state
ment by the Mexican government indi-
Gates that OF account Of shortage of
shipping only 10 per cent of the posi-
BILE output can be marketed. Another
restraining factor on development work
in Mexico, probably the most potent,
has been the continuous performance
that has gone on now for several years.
Sterilization of conditions in Mexico
after the war is expected to be followed
by rapid development Of the oil re-
sources of that country.
The chief Mexican oil fields are
grouped in five districts:
I. The Ebano district, about forty miles
west of Tampico. largely the property Of
the Mexican Petroleum Company. The oil
has q heavy percentage of asphaltun1.
2. The Panuco district including the
Topia region. also producing a heavy oil.
s. The Hunsteca district, south Of Tam
pico. In which the famous "Casiano."
"Cerro Azul' and "potrcro del Llano"
wells occur. This oil is lighter than the
Ebano and Paruco grades. and thus admits
Of being transported in pipe lines. Dos
Bocas No. 9" and "Potrero del Llano" be-
long 70 the type Of we'll known "gushers,''
and have each produced at the rate of as
much as 100000 barrels 2 day. Even
higher figures have been given for short
periods
4. The Tuxpann district. including the
Furbero region. southwest of Tuxpan1.
The oil from this district is as a rule
much lighter than that Of the more north
ern fields.
8. The Tehuantepec-T -Tabssco district, still
further 70 The south and cast in the neigh
borhood of Miratitlan. where the Pearson
interests have refinery.
The demands of the war for fuel
oil are constantly increasing. Accord
ing to the United States Geological
Survey. reports for the six months of
1918 the United States petroleum
stocks were reduced between January
l and July 1 by S,O34,635 barrels, or
63.000 barrels q day.
1913, were 42,044235 barrels, as
against 165,179,183 barrels on July T.,
1917. With 3.000,000 tons of shipping
20 be released this year, much of it
designed for fucl-oil consumption, and
a prospect Of 100000 tons for next
year, the significance Of the Mexican
oil fields as a source of supply as
sumes unusual Importance. A further.
extension of the gaseless-Sunday"
principle, of course, approaches the
problem in another fashion.
A Factor in Present Requirements
The worlds production of petroleum
for 1917 was O3,7OS.OOO barrels. To
this amount the nine leading produc-
ing countries contributed as follows:
Country. Barrels
United States (;narkcted) ...... $40 GOO, 900
Russia NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 65,0OO, 900
Mexico NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 55.293, 900
Dutch East Indies. $4,000. 900
India ...................... a50o, 900
Rumania ................... 6,600,oo0
Gaiicia Observation-Disclosures. $500. 600
japan and Formosa.. ............ 100000
Peru ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2,50O.Oo
Mexico thus stands easily third as q
producer, but with Russian and other
supplies cut off and with a depletion
of United States stocks amounting to
$4,000 barrels daily our interest in the
Ma--jr1-, O,itf,,,t * oLxvouc