Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-03-07
PuRNETOR OF
HOT AIR

That fantastic story told. according
TO the Elko Free Press the other day.
by W. .. Kay, president OF the Stand
ard Oil Shale company. has got Jules
Verne backed off the may as a TO
mancer. To Mr.. Kay's credit he is re-
ported to have said that he was very
much exaggerated by the Free Press
man; that he will steer clear OF news
paper men in the future and that they
make him ridiculous every time. The
truth is good enough without indulg-
ing in such lurid language. Any prop
hesy that is made about the future
population OF Elko or any other city
in Nevada can only be a guess and
that guess is made in accordance with
the desire OF the guesser.
According 10 Mr.. Kay's statement,
when their mill is in running order for
a 2O-retort plant, 1t will mean the
employment OF fifty to sixty men in
three S-hour shifts. That means that
the mill will employ approximately
$50 men and there will be few men
also used for development. We hope
that this prophesy of 10000 popula-
ton in five years becomes a reality.
We believe that the industry Is des-
tined TO be the most important in this
state and that Elko being in the cen
ter Of the belt will receive a greater
influx of population and greater H.
nancial benefit than any county in
TIE state and on this point there can
scarcely be any question of doubt.
One thing may be taken for grant
ed and that is that the shale oil in
dustry in this state within five years
will be employing more people per
haps than any other single industry
in the state. 1t will be well to re.
member that it has been only few
years since the oil excitement struck
Elko and the hopes of the citizens Of
that county rose to Elysium heights.
However, il is not fair to infer by
comparison that the present excite.
ment is even likely TO meet the same
fate. The facts are that in any oil
excitement the first thing to do Is to
find oil in paying quantities and that
has thus far not been done in this
state.
In the shale oil business there is no
question but what Elko county has
the shale and that it is oil-bearing
shale of high value. Having been
stung once, the good people of Elko
county have been very cautious and
have gone about II with extreme care
and evidently were bound not to be
stung again. On the theory that a
burnt child breads the fire, they were
right. but the facts are that the shale
oil industry is not an experiment and
when scientific tests had revealed the
fact that the Elko shale was rich in
oil and that the base was parafine,
then all doubt as to the economical
success OF the enterprise should have
been forever removed.
The only wonder is that instead OF
sitting tight and locating the ground
and holding it for outside capital to
come in and give them the benefit
that Nature had bestowed upon that
district, that they had not really
commenced installing plants and get
ting ready TO put the coin in the bank
that is lying ready for those who are
daring and less afraid than the aver.
age citizen of that county has shown
himself to be.
There is one drawback to the shale
industry in ElkO county just at pres.
ent. The whole county appears to
be infested with millionaires In dis.
guise. A bunch of fellows who get
hold of tract of land that is suppos.
ed TO be shale- bearing. imagine that
men with millions are ready to come
in and put down the coin and take
chance on developing something for
the locators that may or may not In
time prove to be valuable.
All they have done in many cases
is to expend at the most few hun.
dred dollars for location work and yet
they have the nerve to ask all the way
from 100000 up to 100000 and prac.
tically haven't invested 30 cents
apiece. They will drive out more
capital than they will ever bring in.
II they would act within reason and
give capital an even break, there
would be a chance for everybody to
do something and the country would
be better off Some of those fellows
will go ragged and hungry before they
will have sense enough to put rcas.
enable price on their property and
give men with means a chancs to
show what there is in it.-Home.
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