The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1918-10-26
J.. S. ANXIOUS
MEXICAN
OIL LAND ROW
Government Watches Closely Prog
ress of Suits by Big
Companies
ATTEMPT MADE TO STOP
OIL SUPPLY FOR NAVIES
Openly Charged That Mexican Of-
ficiaIs Were Influenced by
German Agents

WAS6lNO lON, II. ~ WV ct
The status of American investment
in Mexico is an object of concern to
the United States. Future COM
mercial relations, not only with
Mexico, but with the whole of Lat
in America, may be affected by the
outcome of the dispute over the
possession of land and mineral
rights in the Tampico oil district,
says a review of the oil situation
Just issued by the department of
commerce.
The government, as well as oil
interests, is watching carefully the
progress of suits instituted in the
Mexican courts by the American,
British, French and Dutch oil CON
panies, for relief from the program
of the Carranza government, aris-
ing from a provision in the Mexican
constitution of 1917 which attempts
to rest in the Nation only the right
to minerals and oils under the soil
of the republic.
"In it's bearing on our future
commercial relations with Latin
America" declares the review by
the department of commerce, the
status of our investments in Mexico
involves far-reaching possibilities.
If all our foreign investments were
to be transferred from the state, of
property duly acquired with guar
antees of permanence, such as occur
in the Mexican mining laws of 1884,
1892 and 1909, to the state of tenn
porary concessions, requiring re-
newal from time to time by con-
tracts in the wording of which we
have no share, we should face an
unprecedented situation.
"Our commercial relations, o
only with Mexico but with all of
Latin America, depend upon mutual
confidence. The liberal supplies
which the United States has granted
to Mexico, together with Ambassa-
dor Fletcher's note of April 2, con-
stitute our side of the present case.
"A signal factor, however, will be
the decision of the Mexican courts
upon the suits now in progress"
The note of April 2 referred to
was handed to the Mexican govern
ment after all oil companies oper-
ating in the Tampico fields had
been ordered to file manifests of
property under penalty Of confisca-
ton and it had been decreed that
new taxes called rentals" and roy
alties'' should be imposed. 1t de-
clared that the United States can
not acquiesce in any procedure os-
tensibly or nominally in the form
of taxation or the exercise of emf
nent domain, but really resulting in
confiscation and arbitrary depriva-
tiOn of vested rights"
At the same time the British.
French and Dutch governments no
titled the Carranza government that
in the event confiscatory measures
were put into effect they would
be obliged to protect their w in
terests." This resulted in a modi-
fication of the decree of confisca-
ton.
1t has openly been charged that
the Mexican government was unduly
influenced by German agents who
hoped through the decree to cut off
the supplies of fuel oil needed to
keep the allied navies and merchant
fleets at sea as the vesting of sole
rights to this fuel in a neutral gov
eminent would make the Tampico
production national c~ontraband and
prevent its sale by Mexico or pro-
ducers operating under contracts
with Mexico to the allied govern
mentS.