The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-12-08
PETROLEUM SAYING
URGED BY SEC. LANE
Despite the Optimism Over the Largely
Increased Sources of Oil Supply
in the United States.

/ DS."~N's
Washington, d, c., Dec. s.--FulleI
utilization Of national resources in coal
oil, water power, land and in human be
ings is urged by Secretary Franklin X
Lane Of the interior department in his
annual report. From the observation
post that his office affords over varied
governmental activities he draws the
conclusion that "far beyond all our pos
sessions il the American man.
in a strong appeal for Americanization
and education.
TO him, to his spirit and character
to his skill and intelligence is due all
the credit for the land in which we
live" Mr. Lane said. "That resource
we are neglecting Twenty-Five per
cent of the 100000 men between ri
and 81 years of age who were first
drafted into our army could neither
read nor write our language and tens
OF thousands could not speak it or un-
derstand it."
Turning to the motive power facili-
ties OF the nation, the report says;
The measure of peoples industrial
capacities seems to be surely fixed by
its motive power possibility, and the
coal strike has brought concretely be-
fore lis the disturbing fact that we live
virtually by unanimous consent. Let
less than pne-half of | per cent of our
population quit their work Of digging
coal and we are threatened with the
combined horrors of pestilenee and
famine"
Mr.. Lane asks adequate provision to
collect statistical information about
the industry, paving the way to better
utilization Of fuel in future.
Consideration of water power and
petroleum deposits takes Mr.. Lane to
the wider spaces of the West. He
states that 20 per cent of the available
horsepower In the nation lies west Of
the Mississippi, and places the total oil
production in 1918 at 356.0O0,000 bar.
rels. Passage of public land leasing
legislation will make available further
rich supplies, he says, and eventually
the deposits Of oil shale "can be made
to yield vastly more oil than has been
found in pools or sands.
yet with all the optimism that can
be justified the report says, Il would
urge a policy Of saving as to petroleum
that should be rigid in the extreme. If
we are long to enjoy the benefits of a
petroleum age, we must save this oil. !"
Ships using fuel oil should be
equipped with internal combustion mo-
tors, Mr. Lane believes, and not be al
lowed to burn oil TO make steam, A
foreign oil supply should also be sought
and diplomatic and industrial means
used to develop it.
A new basis for the operation Of the
reclamation service, which has chiefly
been occupied in western states with a
total of 100000 acres made irrigable,
is suggested
The day has come when it lreclama.
tom must be nationalized and extend
ed to all parts of the republic" Mr..
Lane says. ITO the deserts of the
West we have brought the creative
touch of water, and we must find
way to 60 on with this work But it
is of equal Importance that we should
liberate rich areas now held in bondage
by the swamp, convert millions of acres
Of idle cut-over lands to profitable use,
and raise from the dead the once Wig
orous agricultural life of our abandoned
farms"
This does not mean more federal APP
the report explains, but
assistance to local districts which will
provide funds by pledging the value Of |
lands within them.
Mr.. Lane says that 10000 demobil. |
lied soldiers have applied for public |
lands. He reasserts his belief that the
government is justified in doing for sol |
1iers what it would do for no other |
class, as he has proposed in pending |
measures.
The Alaska railroad, Secretary Lane
'ays, has been well and solidly built, |
or "as little money as private parties
,ould build it," Though total costs
nave been rising, due to general price
the report places expendi
,ures at $4,000 and $4,000 per main
inc mile so far as compared to $751; 900 /
,er mile reached recently by some pri-
ate roads in the United States.
In summary of the departments
work the report shows that the Usage
ribe of Indians collected last year Sl7,-
100000 in returns from oil and gas
and leases. Up in Alaska, the depart
nent mined $1,000 tons Of coal In
Washington, the patent office issued
Z ,259 grants to inventors, while the
tension Office paid out 1929, l59, 202 to
'eterans of the Civil and Spanish wars.
At the national parks 7j5,527 visit.
RS were recorded during the year and
uestions as diverse as the feeding of
TX in Wyoming and the control of Wit
iolic gases around Hawaiian volcanoes
anne up for settlement
On irrigated lands last year, S66,000,-
90 in agricultural products were
rown, and Mr.. Lane remarks that
ederal expenditure of Sl00.000,0O0 has
dded, close to S5O0,0O0,000 to the tax
aluatlon Of western states. The Salt
liver project of Arizona. where crop
alues totalled SIS, lSS 900, was the
amer producer of the reclamation
ervice.