The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-06-19

Ne99@
ginia) produced 1929 barrels or less
than 8 per cent; Lima, Indiana, 9O97
barrels or = less than per cent; I'LL
nois, 1858 barrels or about per
Rocky Mountain, which includes Wy
oming, 37,677 barrels or 4 per cent
about the same as Illinois; California
284,645 barrels or 30 per cent, which
is over three times the production of
Pennsylvania; and the MIDI Continent
Field, comprising North Texas, Okla
homa and Kansas, All 1903 barrels, or
nearly so per cent of the entire pro-
duction of the United States. We are
apt to think of Pennsylvania when we
think of oil, and yet last March the
Mid-Continent field produced nearly
seven times as much oil as the entire
Appalachian field.
! would like very much to go into
detail concerning refining and market
ing operations but suffice to say that
there are about 300 refineries operat-
ing in the United States today, with
capacity of about one million three
hundred thousand barrels per day, IS
of these refneries have capacity of
over ten thousand barrels per day
each--the largest one being the one
at Bayonne, New Jersey, with a cap
acity Of $4,000 barrels per day, the oil
for which is mostly pumped by pipe
line from Oklahoma.
You gentlemen are nearly all bus
mess men and interested in profits.
The Standard Oil of Indiana was or
iginally capitalized at 100000 -
which was later increased by stock
dividend to 100000, and after the
dissolution decree the directors de-
clared an insignificant dividend of
1900 per cent and issued $4,000, 900
worth Of stock and in 1917 on the
increased Capitalization of thirty mil
lion dollars it earned forty-three mil
lion two hundred and twenty thosuand
dollars for its stockholders.
Curtis Johnson recently said the
war was won by "Yanks, Banks and
Tanks" We all agree that the Yanks
had something to do with it. our bank
ing friends likely contend that money
played its part, and we all know the
tanks did their full duty-but did you
ever ston to think what petroleum
had to do with the winning Of the
war? ~----
Governor Hanna told us the other
night that only one road was open to
Verdun and that it was crowded day
and night with traffic, and only four
things were allowed in the road be-
sides men-they were food, ammuni-
ton, ambulances and gasoline-and
every one of these were transported
for the most part bv lorries whose
fuel was gasoline. and had it not have
been for Observation-Disclosures petrol
cum at that-the victory would have
been long delayed if not altogether
lost
A few months after the United
States entered the war, the govern
ment saw the necessity of controlling
the output and handling of petroleum
and the industry foresaw what was to
come and volunteered to assist and the
National Petroleum War Service
l part so well that the French govern
States in March this year for the bur
pose Of decorating Mr. A. C. Bedford,
Chairman Of the War Service Board,
at which time the greatest honor was
bestowed upon him that is within the
power of the French government to
bestow upon a private citizen, which
speaks we'll for American efficiency.
What the oil industry accomplished
during the period Of the war and how
critical the situation was at times and
how dependent was the world upon
supplies of petroleum, has never per-
haps been so wildly presented as it
was at the Victory Dinner, given in
New York on. Friday evening, March
the 18th. Upon that occasion as the
representatives of the Allies arose
and presented one by one vivid pic
lures If their experiences in their
long, grim, and often seemingly hone
less struggle for superiority in the
sinews of war, there came to those
present, even to those who were as
4 close to the battle line as anyone
could be on this side Of the ocean, a
new sense of the part this industry
PLAYED in the war.
We had read with emotion the mes
sages of congratulation and gratitude
which came to us over the cable from
the great statesman of Britain and
France. but it remained for the gentle
men who represented the several gov
ernments at that dinner by their sim
ple recital Of great events to cause US
to realize to the fullest extent the ter
rible responsibility which lay upon us
+. in the worlds crisis. There were re-
vealed that night some secrets of APP
palling situations which existed dur
J ing the war which from time to time
threatened to paralyze the fighting
power Of the Allies, but until then had