The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-09-19
GOVERNMENT Is
ONE TO BLAME
George +. Black Sizes Ur
the Petroleum and
Gas Situation.

Having shipped my automobile out
h"ic and hclng oul of gasoliuc haH
caused Wc TO read items about the
rn1rHGr with interest My homo
state fJhhhomaj can help out iyr.
pursfi'y but tho oil producers
burdens arc too Froat 10 take care
ut future requirements unless there
Is radical change iu state and fad.
cIul policies
81 iA amusing 10 read about inltIat-
ing bii. @. place this business .u the
luu3a OF public officials only bE
tho utmost effort on the part OF OIL
pruuUr"Ih was tnis Industry left free
daring mo war. By reason thereof
the Oh producers supplied every dc.
utuI promptly aud at au enormous
sa'rif,e. What different sJeI,
could now he told # incNoricnccd
nourusporsihle public officials had
gotten their Incompetent hands hold
0' thobusincs1.
People surely haven't forgotten
how the railways telegraph aud tel
cphouc liuc were stricken with palsy
when non accountable public Oftic
Ills seized them
The government first through
commissions and labor batting, ln
pUycrishud the railway companies
and thNu took juCW over and almost
delivered knockout blow. what
was done to the railways, through
socialists ana dcmagusu' demands,
is now being done I'm q little differ
.,nt manner, but Just as iluriouslS
OF the business
our predicamcut as IA shortage
! 1f the crud" oil petroleum Is al
rectly traccnblo to unwlse legislation
aud governmental intermeddling
Another contributing factor rs COW
ardice on the part OF ;he dandard
( and other big companies IN not
meeting necessities Of stuall and III
dependent producers by raising the
price OF crude oil and by-prodnc''
to meet the added expenses and
/ burdens tackled on by the govern
mont. twll scOon be demonstruted
| whether thc little independent mar
kettr and Independent producer ar,
to be frozen out by these two fac
tors.
/ Government action vitally affect
ing the Independent producers (and
they constitute In production two
thirds) is first, the Confiscatory and
I |CNtortiouatc excess pofits tax and
Income surtaxes. Tho government
not taking into consideration the
hazardous nature Of the business
iuCss. no distinction Is made as t.
the character OF risk involved in vac
IiaLs business undertakings. This
tax takes from producers vast sums
which otherwise would he rr-iEVeJt.
cd IN further oil development work
In addtntiou, a new unjust ana iucN.
Cusablc idea was adopted in lesisla'
ton, cx-pOst faSto or retroactive ap
hcatiup Of tax laws. This put out
Of business a great many oil pro.
OH men go for years spendinl
money and time To succeed in get
Ting "A well. Their success is at
taiued in one year. This tax legis
lation cause those successful To pal
as high as Ga per cent In tax To thO
federal government alone; besides
the state and local taxes. Now here
IS the situation as affecting the oil
consumer. Those experienced o.
men who have laid by to be indc
pendent are asking Themselves
whether Il isn't letter to get a nom,
ana invest the surplus in stable Sc
Cur.tlrs rather than risk losing II
lin drilling for oil, especially whel
Ithe government is-a fifty-ffty partner
in gains and dubs you loser.
! This is one reason so manN MONIES
In Los Aagles are being sold to OK