The Washington herald., 1918-11-07
WORLD ENTERS
ON AGE OF OIL
Outfit of 900, 900 Bar.
rels in U. S. Sufficient,
Says Holland.

Information came from washington
this morning which told OF the dis
position of the Committee of the SEN
ate which Is now considering the rev.
enue hill to take such action respect
ing the taxation OF oil as viii teno
TO stimulate production and not 10
impair or greatly decrease 1t. For re-
duction Of production IL Is believed
by the authorities would be the erect
were the revenue bill as II left the
House OF Representatives to contain,
when the senate finished with it, the
same provision respecting oil and min
erals which the House put into the
bill
Public opinion was awakened to the
danger which unwise taxation Of these
Industries might cause so far as pro-
duction is concerned. Secretary Lane
urged Congress not to tax these in
dustries In such manner as to i'm
pair their usefulness. A. c. Bedford
and Henry L. Doherty have been in
iuentlal not only in informing the
public and in that manner creating
public opinion. but also in persuading
the Senate Committee that II is the
part OF wisdom not to impose such
taxation upon the oil industry as
would be sure If enforced greatly to
impair that industry.
One Of the several astonishing de-
velopments which have been caused
by the war has been the der1Onst-S-
ton that the world is now entering
upon what Is sometimes spoken OF as
the oil age One evidence Of the
enoTmity OF this industry is to he
found in the fact that tho United
fa PuN
3Jo.aCA 6oo barrels Of oil. = few years
sgH that would have JCau su'iiCicnt
Crcall, 10 ove' stCcS ih'. market
to create a surplus which no demand
could possibly greatly reduce.
Uses Multiply.
Today We are told that although
the United States is producing nearly
so OtGOO0 barrels OF oil a year. new
ertheless this falls far short of the
world demand for Oil 1t is only 4
genera ton ago. or perhaps a little
more. when oil was produced and
marketed chiefly for the purpose OF
providing iIluminants. But the chem
lists and other men of science dem
cnstrated how it was possible to pro-
cure the lighter spirits. the very high
" refined oil. and also to secure
many by-produCts that had great
commercial value. The best judges
say that the chemists have not as
vet Exhausted the field for the de-
vClOpment Of by-products of oil.
There is plenty Of gas for iIlumi-
mating and some other purposes and
the use OF electricity for lighting
houses and streets has greatly in
creased but nevertheless electricity
and gas have not decreased to any
petroleum for illumination. Further
more science has shown how so to
utilize petroleum as to make inter
nal combustion power of very great
commercial advantage Therefore the
demand for oil. refined so "a TO be
utilized IN internal combustion. is
sure to be increased and this prod
net is 90 ne a very great factor in
our Industrial life.
New Field In Philippines.
The latest and possibly what Is to
De- the highest commercial develop
H7ent Of oil is its utilization as fuel.
II the United States could be relied
upon to furnish all the oil that is
necessary for fuel purposes then an
important problem now before the
country would not have to be solved
but all the authorities say that even
though we produce $40. 10000 barrels
Of oil a year nevertheless there is not
enough. We must go to Mexico or
other parts Of the world to secure all
that is necessary. Recently reports
have come from the Philippines
which. il they are well founded in
fact, make it certain that a new and
great reservoir OF oil awaits exploIta-
ton by American capital in the Phil
ippines.
Some years ago the managers Of the
Southern Pacific railroad were per-
suaded that as a part of their lines
were within convenient distance of
the oil fields il might be eNpedient
and economical to substitute oil for
coal for generating steam in locomo-
tive engines. The experiment was
successfully made. Then science and
capital combined to perfect the oil
, burning engine for vessels and did
that with success. Not many tests
were needed TO show that for all
marine uses oil was superior to coal
Some OF the authorities saw that
weight for weight oil shows an in
crease in heat value over coal OF not
less than 30 per cent and sometimes
as much as 6o per cent. It is a great
saver OF bunker space and IL is also
a saver OF labor Some of the passen-
ger steamships which formerly car
ried 800 stoksrs can by the use Of oil
reduce this force to not more than
sixty stOkers. Always there is naxi-
mum power since furnaces do NOT
have to remain idle to clean fires
Any one OF the great ocean steamers
can take in oil enough in A hours to
serve purposes which it would REQUIRE
two days Of bunking with coal to
secure.
Requires Less Labor.
But II we are to have an oiI-burn-
ing merchant marine il will raorIro
at least six hundred million barrels
Of oil a year. The entire oil outnut
OF the world now is not more thar
five hundred million barrels. Grad
uaIly the managers of industrial
plants are making use of fuel oil in
place Of coal 1t is stated that one
Industrial plant in the East which
employed sixty-three men in hand
ling coal, including firemen, found
itself able to make highly satisfar-
tory use Of its power plant with only
seven men after fuel oil was sub
stituted for coal
Mexico is not only the present but
the future reservoir which IL relied
upon to meet whatever necessity
there may be for enlarged use of oil
on account Of Industrial demand. The
Mexican fields can be very greatly
increased. Four years ago c. w.
Barron. Of Boston, visited Mexico for
the purpose Of studying the oil fields
there, and he returned impressed
with the fact that il peaceful condi-
tons can be maintained in Mexico. IL
property can be protected. there is