The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-12

lation of the statutes is advocated and practiced by the oil producers of the United States under the leadership of Mir Bedford
 MIR. BEDFORD'S DIFFICULTIES When MT. Bedford recently called to his assistance special committee among the members of which are Henry L. Doherty, H. F. Sinclair and J. F. Guffey
 Tor the purpose of working out a plan if that were possible, whereby Congress could be persuaded not to overtax the oil industry, he made it manifest that
 he regards this as one of the most seri- ous of the problems which he is conn
 pelled to face. For there was apprehen-
 sion that Congress might so frame the
 new revenue law as greatly to restrict oil
 production and in considerable measure
 put an end to prospecting. But we are already consuming enormous amounts of oil due to the exigencies of the war. and if there be no new and increased produce
 tion this consumption will be sure in the course of year or two, to use up our surplus oil and to cause a deficit between production and the demand for 1t. Now, MT. Bedford's committee reluc- tantly reports that unless there be some change in the revenue law the prospectors will be called in, the digging of wells will be suspended and there will follow a great falling off in petroleum production. That woudl be very unfortunate at this time for several reasons. First, the needs of the government for oil are very great, not only for fuel purposes, but also for lubr- eating and for the refining of oil so that
 an adequate amount of gasoline can be secured The intimation is strong that even though the American public aban- don for time the use of automobiles for
 leasure purposes. the saving in gasoline would not be equal to the falling off ill
 production unless the government takes
 heed of the emergency and does not ex-
 act a drastic tax. Secretary Lane has already called the attention of Congress to the danger to certain mining industries
 which are engaged in producing raw ma
 terial that is needed for war industries
 should the revenue law contain a tax
 upon these industries which would inevi-
 tably curtail them. What Secretary Lane
 recommends MT. Bedford's committee is
 likely to recommend to Congress, not for
 the purpose of securing great profits for
 the oil producers, but with the intent to
 speed up prospecting as well as oil pro-
 duction. especially in the great fields of
 Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and California
 SOME ALARMING FIGURES
 Already it has been possible to secure
 figures which show what the production
 and storage of oil for the month of June samounted to. These figures show de-
 crease which must have given Mir. Bed
 ford and his associates great concern.
 The falling off is not confined to any par
 ticular district. but seems to be general.
 Producers have found themselves con-
 fronted with the greatly increasing prices
 for materials. and it has been hard for
 them to secure experienced field workers
 Now if heavy tax be exacted that will
 tend still further to impair production.
 Mir Doherty's representatives have re-
 ported to him that in the month of June
 the production in Oklahoma and in Kan-
 sas amounted to 111S7.000 barrels. but this
 Is a decrease of nearly 400,000 barrels as
 compared with the production in May.
 There was a decrease in stock of nearly
 750,000 barrels. In all of the oil producing
 districts of the United States, including
 California. the wells yielded in the month
 of June approximately 27, ,650.000 barrels,
 round numbers, but this was a decrease
 of nearly750,000 barrels as compared with
 the May production.
 Figures of this kind cannot be main- tained month after month without giv- ing to the government serious concern. Therefore it appears to be the view of Mir. Bedford's committee that the authorities at Washington will do everything that is reasonable and especially should give due COnSfQefdtlOn 10 tHt fcldllOil OI ldAdtOH to oil production, in order that the in- creasing menace of a shortage in our oil supply a shortage which would be seri- ous detriment to our oil preparation, be ended.
 One of the most important meetings in which the managers of industries that are of importance to the government at this time participated was one recently held at Tulsa. okla. There were gathered rep resentatives from all branches of the oil industries in the mid d-continent district MT Bedford was there, as we'll as Mark R. Requa, United States fuel oil admin str ator.
 With unanimity and even enthusiasm all of those who were present pledged themselves to assist and co-opeate with the fuel administration in it's effort to keep the oil industry at the highest pos- sible point of efficiency. But it is inter- esting to note that the Fundamental plr- pose of this meeting was the securing of an agreement respecting price. There was a time when meeting which had a purpose of that kind in view would be regarded by the federal authorities as having in mind action which would be in violation of the federal statutes.