The Washington herald., 1919-02-08
UNTOLD WEALTH
(FR0M U. S. LAND
IF Congress Accepts Agree
ment Government Land
VIII Be Opened Up.

many rnlllOD8 OF new WtallA
be ta.sen from the ground in case
Congress accepts the agreement made
by the Senate and House eonferees
whereby some 5ooooooo acres of gov
eminent land are to be opened up to
exploitation, not by the government
but BY private capital. For some
years complaint has been made some
thing like that which is suggested by
the saying, dog IN the manger
policy. Here were immense natural
resources consisting of oil. gas, coal.
phosphates and sodium which lay be-
meath the soil of which the govern
ment held title. But their resources
were smothered by the indifference Of
Congress. These resources were chief
ly confined to the Western States, al
though Alaska Is known to contain
vast deposits OF coal and much OIL
Walter Clark Tesgle. president OF the
Standard Oil Company OF New Jersey.
said recently that without any ques-
ton petroleum exists in some parts
of Alaska. and the reports are that
the deposits are rich. although the OIL
bearing lands so far discovered are
not extensive. SO. also. Alaska is
known to contain great deposits OF
coal. and IL these could be exploited
or developed then much would be
achieved In the direction OF advancing
the prosperity of that remote penin-
sula.
Furthermore. under government
lands in the Far West there are un-
doCbtedly very great deposits not
only Of oil and gas but also Of coal
and other minerals which will be Of
great value IN continuing the develop
ment Of the greater West. But It was
impossible to secure any agreement
oy Congress which could N set forth
IN legislation whereby these natural
rrSources might be availed of. Pos
sibly but for the wonderfully stinu-
lating effect OF the war upon the oe-
Nelopment OF American resources and
also because of the wise activities OF
OIL leaders such as A. c. Bedford.
Henry L. Doherty. President Sinclair
and others, Congress could not have
been induced at this time to progress
so Tar towards an agreement as the
action OF the House and Senate con-
ferees has now made possible.
Future of OIL.
For a year or two many have been
the doubts expressed regarding the
life OF our oil resources Some Of the
best authorities have estimated that
at the prevailing rate OF consumption
our oil wells will have no longer life
thar the next sixteen years. Some Of
the experts have put it as high as
twenty years. There remain. there
lore, two considerations respecting
tho future Of our oil supplies which
must be acted upon il the life OF these
resources is to be continued longer
than sixteen or twenty years. One
consideration involves new sources of
production and the conservation Of
our oil resources. The other Is the
amount OF oil which We may be able
10 Import from Mexico and South
America.
The uses to which oil il being now
put constitute the industry as third.
possibly second, in the Industrial life
or the United States, The first Is iron
ana steel production. the second eth
er oil or copper and the third either
copper or oil. Copper stands fourth.
Food production stands apart, by it.
self Now that the government will
be able II Congress accepts the agree
ment which the cOnfeFees have reach
ed to lease oil lands and other min
eral lands upon q royalty basis. then
there IS no doubt that production of
ne" OIL VIII be greatly stimulated and
new wealth. perhaps very great in the
ment-owned lands in the greater West
Few persons realize the mapni-
tude and the variety of the prod
ucts OF which crude petroleum il
the basis. The men OF science are
adding each year to the number Of
by-prOducts which are of com
morcisl and industrial value. Not
the least important Is the utiliza- :
tton OF petroleum oil for lubricat-
ing purposes. fabrication is one
OF the most important il not actu-
ally the most important of all the
accessories to industrial and trans
pOrtRtion activities. In fact upon
fabrication depends much OF the
comfort and a great deal of the
necessSries Of life at the present
time. IT is represented even in the
clothing which men and women
wear for It makes it possible to
operate the machinery to good ad-
vantage with which cloths OF ALI
kinds are spun. When II is rsmem-
bered that in 1917 ten per cent.
perhaps more. OF crude petroleum
was converted into iubricatinE oil
and that 3i.000.000 barrels OF this
oil was manufactured and approx
mstely 100000 barrels exported
then there will be some understand
ing OF the Importance ofl the OPEN
ing UP of government lands to the
development of oil production.
So Also under the measure IL
adopted. the vast deposits Of coal
which have lain unused in govern
Inent lands for centuries may now be
utilized. thereby making Il certain
that the life Of our coal deposits will
be extended. Some OF the experts
have estimated that at the present
rate of consumption our anthracite
deposits will have been exhausted
within the next fifty years and our
bituminous deposits in perhaps a little
more than a century from the present
time. But fifty years and a hundred
years are but a short time in the life
of a nation and the feeling has been
strong that those who are authority
in the present day should take such
action as will make 1t possible for
future generations to escape appre-
hensIon OF an exhaustion OF coal.
No one can foretell how great an ad-
dition to our on supplies viii be made
II the proposed measure be enacted
into law. Some OF the experts are of
the opinion that these new supplies
will perhaps almost double the exist
ing and visible supply of oil, al
though an estimate Of that kind may
be too optimistic.
HOLLAND"
LIVED pnnJ COTTON