Evening star., 1919-04-06
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

"HE oil industry of the United
States has organized as unit
to fight foreign invasion OF
the oil fields of this country
to maintain its position as a dominant
factor in the oil trade of the world
and to prevent the British government
from accomplishing it's purpose to
get world monopoly of oil re-
sources.
President Wilson has been appealed
20 through government lines OF COM
nnunication and through trade chan
neIs to see that American oil inter-
ests are given very serious cons'd-
Grafton at the peace conference teat
they may be safeguarded. particular
ly against Great Britain's campaign
which has been in operation 1or
months 1t is urged that he shouio
have in consultation there the best
Informed officials in the United States
on oil matters.
Data Made Available.
rared for use at the conference II
the President desires. showing the
exact position of the United states
to the rest of the world as regards
petroleum products and the future
supply that the United States indus
try has to depend upon. This informa-
tion has been compiled through CO.
operation of the trade with govern
ment agencies-the geological sur
vey. the bureau of mines and the fuel
administration.
At least two government officials
have been holding themselves IN
readiness to go to Paris at short
notice to advise about terms safe
guarding the American petroleum in
dustry-when they are called by the
President. These are Mark l. Requa.
director general of the oil division of
the fuel administration, and DR.. Van
H. Manning, director, of the bureau
Of mines, who are supposed to be
the best informed men in this coun-
try today on the general oil situation.
For more than six months tn"
United States has had in London.
following the interallied petroleum
conference which he attended. a
trained petroleum expert who has
heen keeping the government Off
eaals informed regarding the steps
taken by Great Britain toward the
acquisition of bill resources in all
parts OF the world indicating de-
termination to get world control. Re
ports nave been coming TO both Mr..
Heqpa and DR.. Manning
To Present Solid Front.
While waiting for President Will
enm and his associates at the peace
table to take official action, the oil
industry in this country has been
terrifying itself to offer solid front
to win this impending trade war just
rs it made it possible for the allied
cause to "hoat to victory on oil"
Just as the oil industry of this
country was modified during the
war. giving 100 per cent co-opepa-
tion to the government in supplying
the enormous needs for petroleum
products and by-products>to win the
allies war. so now the oil industry
has modified and expects the coop
Grafton and support of the govern
ment. to maintain its world trade
leadership. to preserve it's home sup
plies and to acquire foreign reserves.
For years the petroleum industry
has been agitated by. bitter fights
between the Independents" and the
so-called trusts" In the national
INT piSiS Of h1
the petroleum industry responded as
a whole and whole-heartedly to the
call Of the government for better
and more systematized production
and distribution of petroleum and
its products. To make this possible,
the independents and the trust had
authorized representative leaders
in daily conference as cabinet to
Mark L. Requa, who was known as
the federal fuel oil administrator.
This organization was known as tn,
national petroleum war service COM
mittee. with thirty-five members. of
which A. c. Bedford, head of the
Standard Oil trust" was chairman.
New Spirit Of Cooperation.
The practical. disinterested service
given to the country by this war
service committee was second to nc
other war horn agency in any indus
try-and this is attested by govern
ment officials and by allied resolu-
tiops of appreciation In these confer
ences a new spirit Of cooperation foI
the advancement of the industry's in
terests was born, and this was fos-
tered by government executives. es-
pecialfy since the return Of Chester
Naramore. chief of the petroleum di-
vision Of the bureau of mines, from
the interallied maritime conference
to which he went as representative
of the shipping board, the fuel ad-
ministration and the bureau of mines
Mr.. Naramore brought back first
hand information of the trend of the
international oil trade and of Great
Britain's ambitions to control thai
trade.
On the advice and with the encour-
agement and promised support o1
Mr.. Requa. the wartime oil execu.
tive. and of DR.. Manning. the federal
peace-time oil-interests custodian
this national petroleum war service
committee has been made a perma.
nent peace-time NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
cabinet for the oil industry OF thi.
country, known as the American Pc.
troleum Institute 1t was reorganizeG
in New York on March IA and the
work of organization was completed
in Chicago on March ~. More thar
800 representatives 81 the industr,