The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-27
OIL MEN PROTEST
ON PROPOSED LAW
Plan to Regulate Industries in
Argentina Finds Approval
in Some Quarters.

BuENos ArREs, Argentina, Oct. 1S.-
The publication of the proposed law re-
garding the regulation OF mines, oil fields
and water power development has been
received with mingled approval and dis
approval. For the most part the miners
have welcomed 1t, for 1t has been felt
for some time that definite set of legis-
lation was necessary. The act as pro-
posed Is founded on one drawn up by DR..
Joaquin v. Gonsalez, rector OF the Uni
versity of La Plate.
Tho opposition to II has come mostly
from the petroleum interests, who claim
that 1t will obstruct the progress OF one
Of Argentina's newest and most pros
porous industries. Only since 1907 has
Argentina been numbered among the oil
producing countries of South America
OIL was discovered in that year as the
result of geological Investigations which
the General Board of Mines, Geology
and NEUROLOGY of the Argentine was
conducting near Comodoro Rivadavia.
In 1907 the output amounted to 101
barrels ten year later 1t had increased
to 1.132,1e2 barrels. In spite OF this
steady increase in production the out
put Is still far from reaching a point
where II can satisfy national needs;
about 1000. 900 tons of foreign coal are
required annually, and the yearly i'm
duced in the local oil fields.
The question as to whether production
would proceed more rapidly under pri-
vate control has been a subject for much
acrimonious discy 1sion, but thus far the
Government, on the ground thai the
needs of the Argentine navy demand
that II keep control of the oil fields, has
kept the operations in charge of special
commission, the administrative Com
mittee of the COMMODORE Rivadavia Petro-
leum Fields The slowness of Govern
ment has. however. been bitterly criti-
cised and plans have been brought for
ward which contemplate either leasing
OF the fields to private interests or a
working of the fields through a sort Of
partnership between the Government and
private capital. In an effort to combat
this criticism the Government has re-
Gently made plans to purchase four tank
ers abroad which are to be used in bring
ing oil to the capital, where the price of
fuel is now very high.
Outside OF the Government area there
are few private companies in operation.
but their capital is limited and they are
still in the development stage. In addi-
ton to the COMMODORE Rivadavia field
there are three other regions in which
oil deposits more or less extensive are
known to occur. These are the Salta-
Jujuy field. in northwestern Argentina,
in the provinces of those names: dis
trict known as the Cacheuta field. few
miles south OF Mendoza. and the Men
doza-Nouquen field, 600 to 500 miles
southwest of Buenos Ayres.
Indications of oil in other regions are
reported from time to time, and 1t is pos
slble that extensive petrqliferous areas
are yet to be discovered. but there has
as yet been no exploration OF fields other
than those mentioned. Except in the
COMMODORE Rivadavia field, little Is def
nitely known about the possibilities of
these four regions. They are estimated
to cover altogether an area Of several
thousand square miles, but the ''proved"
area is less than two square miles.