Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-01-13

VIII snow q real patriotic spirit. The gas company nas promised plenty of fuel, both for industrial and domestic hurbo}es and have caused the indus
 trial plants in the Arkansas cities to 2" to large expense in changing fhe'f power plants in order that they may use gas as a fuel These plants, have been closed q great part Of this Ninter and the gas has been lnsati- HeHt for domestic use. If the fault is lhat 0f the gas company. then the people should know jt. but if his con ecf2 has donc all ia its power to sc- cure sufficient gas when the supply IS o0taifapic, then the public should 3H so iHfOrlaeC'
 Mach Gas Wasted.
 \ large amount of natural gas i. hein& wasted taily in the L3aisiana fields, and it is a common sight to see flame Of considerable volume coming rom q small pipe near az oil pump. Ine oil operators mGst d.,iIl thr0ugh natural %as before theF reGCl the oil deposits and the quicker t3.cH @e' riG of this gas tue sooner they Will begin to receive returns iron the oil. For this reason they are very anNlous to get rid of this gas at the earliest possible moment and make no efforts to save jt. Gas authorit ies claim, however, that ths suppl, is unavailable. as the pressure is so low Il cannot be picked up by the lines
 tnry' G:;@n Warm R@celti"Ds
 Air. Couch and his party leg; this city Wednesday afternoon, spending the night at TeXarkana. Thursday morning they went to Shreveport in company with Mr. Munce, who mc5 them in the border city. \ meeting was Immediately arranged and the afternoon was spent in cCnfGrTing with the gas authorities and officials. On account oi the very indictment weather the party Was unable 10 make tip to the gas fields, al- | though much information was oh- tained on the trip through the fields, made on the train enroutc to Shicyc- : port. The members of the party were the guests of Hon. T. C. Barrett, dis tl'ict fuel administrator, at luncheon Thursday, and were assured of his assistance in their efforts to relieve the gas shortage. Mir. Barrett is do. inS all in his power to bring about better fuel conditions in his district, and his efforts are proving to be a great help to the Shreveport gas off cials, who c0mplimented him very highly Or his interest in'their behalf.
 Bloom Makes Statement. ]
 Secretary E. E. Bloom of the Cham Der of Commerce was member of the party anG took an active part in obtaining all the information in re gard to the interest of Pine Bluff gas consumers In regard to his version of the present gas shortage Mir. Bloom said:
 "The recent and present gas short age to Pine Bluff consumers was not caused altogether by an insufficient supply in the fields, but more par ticularly by insufficient gas mains to carry the supply to Arkansas con- sumers. The supplying companies. in ! my opinion. failed to take their mains to Undiscovered fields and wells [ Hi this territory early enough, haVlnS knowledge, as they did, that their present source of supply was made Guate, though they claim that they were taken by surprise ill laying new mains ny labor troubles and car short age The other operating companies i were supplying gas to industrial plants at Shreveport and TeXarkana3 one of which is using more than d million feet Of gas a cay, which should not be permitted in the face of the shortage for domestic purposes and the cutting off of the supplies to industries in other cities in Arkansas, 1 and a closer cooperation should be inaueurated at once. According to the admitted records of the life ol producing wells in the past the fu- { ture of the gas supply in the ShreVe- !, port fields is limited to approximately 10 years. With the constant increas- ing consumption by private consum- CTS, an adequate supply for indus 1 trial purposes is out of the question, and should not be depended upon in the slightest degree during the win ter months This is impossible, both from the supply and transmlsslon standpoint. It would be very hazard GUS for. any private consumer to fail to suprly themselves with emergency wood or coal stoves and a supply oE thai kind of fuel before next winter.
 "The Arkansas Natura, Gas com pany. with the aid of the fuel admin istrators of Arkansas and LGHiSlana