Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-29
ENGLAND ACTS To
INSURE AN AMPLE
CRUDE OIL SUPPLY
viii Form Combination of
Many Companies, and Gre
ate Ministry, as Result of
Lesson Taught 10y War,
Correspondence of The Associated
PreSs.)

PreSs.)
London, Thursday, Starch 13.-
Profiting by the costly experience OF
the war, when il was compelled to
send enormous sums into other cOun-
tries in payment for petroleum and
petroleum products, the Rritishs gov
eminent has adopted a clearly de-
fined oil policy, and is already cred
tied with financially backing what is
expected here to develop into the
most powerful oil producing, refin-
ing and transporting enterprise in
the history of the industry.
The governments first important
movement, it was stated/by authorl-
ties here, will be the deration of a
permanent oil ministry The next
move, it is asserted, is the combina-
ton under the protection of the gov
eminent of the most important oil
companies operating in British and
neutral countries, If they are wholly
or partly British owned. These in
clude such concerns as the Royal
Dutch, the Shell and the Lord Cowd-
ray interests.
The Royal Dutch group controls
immense production in many lands,
including many properties in Okla
homa, Kansas, Texas, California and
Wyoming,
lnterlocking directories give it a
commanding place in such compan-
les as the Burmah Oil Company and
the Anglo Persian Oil Company The
British government is the largest
stakeholder in the last named COM
pany, while the Anglo Saxon Petrol
cum Company, an important subsi-
diary of the Royal Dutch-Shell inter-
ests has a selling contract with the
Anglo-Persian company which brings
all these interests close together. 1t
is generally accepted in London that
the British government Is not alto
gether satisfied with it's forty per
cent interest in the Royal Dutch, and
would like to have a more important
financial place i'll the corporation.
This sentiment, it is said, is seconded
by the most important Dutch stock
holders, who feel they would enjoy
added safety for their investment if
backed by the financial and military
power of the imperial government
The Pearson oil interests, that Is,
the Lord Cowdray companies, are
perhaps the most powerful of all the
British companies.
The Cowdray interests include i'm
portant holdings in Mexico, where
they have developed a large produc-
ing field and brought it to a high state
of efficiency including possession, of
the necessary refneries and ships for
the manufacture and transportation
of their products They have always
employed American geologists and
drillerS in their operations, and have
taken advantage of the experience.
gained by Americans from the early
days of oil discoveries in Pennsylvania.
Even now the operations in England
are carried on by Americans.
OF the undeveloped territory to
which the British government is said
to be looking, none is more important
than that known as the Persian field.
Here the Anglo-Persian Oil company
has a concession of 100000 square
miles on which number of wells
have been drilled and which already
has an annual profit production of
10000 barrels, Biologists believe that
this field extends into Mesopotamia,
where British influence is already so
firmly established as to make devel-
opment here only a matter of detail.
Other sections of Turkey are said to
be coil country" while the Egyptian
field developed during the war is con-
sidered of Importance. British Oil
men believe central Africa will eventu-I
ally become an important producing
center and their eyes are turning inl
that direction.