Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-08-17

for the most part did not receive much encouragement financially and eventually many of them were taken over by the Standard. People were almost afraid to invest with competitors of the Standard.
 But this situation has been radi- cally changed by three developments; dissolution of the old Standard Oil combination, the almost startling in- crease in the consumption of oil, and !, finally, by the war. All these events have combined so to speak, to take the lid off the industry and open it up wide for public participation.
 It is true that the Standard com- panies have been even more profit able since the dissolution of the old combine than before, and in certain important respects their power is al most if not fully as great. But nevertheless the old absoluteness of control and dominance was removed, perhaps as much by the natural ex- pansion of the industry as by the courts. At any rate enough time has now elapsed since the days of Rocke- feller dominance for various ambi- tious and energetic men to get well started on extensive independent pro- jects.
 Now these independents, not hav- ing the resources of the Standard companies, were obliged to obtain funds from Wall street, and they set about to acquaint the big bankers and capitalists with the possibilities of the industry. Experts say that this acquaintanceship of the last few years is among the most important factors in making for the present ac- tivity in oil. Harry r. Sinclair and J. s. Cosden were among the first to induce Wall street to take an inter- lest in independent oils, and they have more recently been followed by many others. There had been one or two very large independent companies, such as the Texas company and the Gulf Refining, but they didn't buy money "down east" the way Sinclair and Cosden did.
 PetrOleum's New Uses. But the mere persuasiveness of even the spectacular Sinclair was not enough in itself to win the interest and support of the leaders of finance and the army of investors and spec ulators. The new uses for petroleum, and for several years past the steadi- ly threatened shortage of the pro- duct, have drawn everyone's atten- tion to the industry. At first pe- troleum was used largely for light ing purposes, and much of John D. Rockefeller's fame will rest upon his achievements in lighting the world. Then it became apparent that the de- velopment of machine production de- pended upon fabrication, and petro- leum loomed up as of tremendous i'm portance as lubricaraS. Nothing has yet appeared to take it's place, and the use of lubricants continually world depends upon grease and lubri- eating oil.
 But perhaps the most rapidly de- veloping use of petroleum has been for fuel purposes. Here the possi- b;lities are so dizzying that it is no wonder investors should lose their heads. First of all came the auto mobile, passenger and truck, then the tractor and no wthe aeroplane. The rnal-combustion engine, using gasoline, has alread yrevolutionized the world and threatens to turn it owe ragain by means of traffic through the air. Gasoline, once thrown away in connection with the manufacture of kerosene, is the mo- tive power in this country alone for automobiles, motor-boats, tractors, motorcycles, and aeroplanes whose aggregate number begins to run up not far below ten million.
 Oil as Fuel for Ships.
 These uses, however, are only for the lighter or refined parts of pe- troleum. The greatest possibilities of all, perhaps, lie in the employ ment of heavy or fuel oil for bunker purposes, that is, for steam ships. It's use for locomotives may extend, and possibly stationary