Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1920-06-08
KILLING THE GOOSE

There was once u very foolish fel-
low who owned a goose that lAld golden
eggs. which was pretty nice business I;
va, he fellow was 80 averaclous that
.e killed. and ate the valuable bird.
since that day the unreasonable act
has become the symbol for those who
allow their cupidity To obscure their
real interests.
peming has hole in the ground
west Of the city that threatens any
minute Ia send w stream OF liquid
-oal. Elsewhere In this issue Is pub
Ii,hrd financial statement Of those
rc.u uSible which indicates record
tor economical administration of funds
and Il record for efficient engineering.
The hole is down 400 feet and Is as
.nai.nt as plumb line At last re-
uolts il was In soft red limestone,
rich i'm fossil remains Of an ancient sea
thai give off the rainbow hues OF oil.
II r. thought that this Is the outer
stratum of the cap rock that Will soon
gruW into the denser limestone that
overlieS the coarse Oil-bearing sands.
Filming oil seems now certainty.
Ihis certainty of finding oil, how
ever. has had the effect of making
some leased desert land In the vicinity
of the well worth more than the three
Ia tiltcen cents an acre which the state
asls for il: the land is being priced
AT from So To so an acre. depending
ON It's proximity to the goose that Is
suspected of being ON the point of lay
1
ing golden egg. No one Is to blame
for this speculative value and anyone
wise enough 70 have land In the vi
chit, Of the well Is To he congratu-
lated on good business Judgment In
acquiring the leases, but IL would seem
reasonable to conserve the source OF
this value by assisting In the preserva-
;ion of the goose that is expected 10
produce the golden egg That can only
he done by allowing John Clark who
has a contract for putting down the
well. enough leased land 10 finance the
well. Even the Florida company
which has G.OOO acres. has appropriated
only one section. and others have given
about two and quarter sections al
ditionnl. but no one seems willing 10
really help in the feeding Of the golden
goose. Financing by selling stock has
proved Inadequate; il must be done by
ginning additional leased land that can
De- sold out as the well progresses and
which makes the remaining land more
valuable to the owners Remember
this was the first drill 10 start In the
Mimbres valley and that future devel-
opmrnt Is born Of the pioneering work
Of John W Clark, who had the nerve
10 start a wildcat hole. He had faith
that others would help. but IL seems
that land owners i'm he vicinity of the
well are bent on killing the goose for
immediate profit.
Failure to get additional leases
means that an iron ring is being
formed about the we'll west of the city
and that as speculation based on the
possibilities Of the well increases the
more surely will the drilling operations
be- T, reed to suspend for lack OF
finances. In two weeks the hole viii
be worthless. as IL is not cased for SOC
feet uf soft formation that Is disin'
tregating very rapidly under the action
II the acid that has been released then
what will nearby leases be worth !
Doe MT II look like the proper time now
To come forward and lend assistance Ia
those who first had the initiative Ia
start exploration? Abandonment Of the
well will mean a great setback for the
valleys oil pretensions and the loss Of
tret hole that might solve the mys'
terry that is now earnestly engaging
the minds Of our leading citizens. Can
the land owners afford TO cause this
l1ss To the valley and to Themselves
Consider what has happened to the
we'll at Columbus. at Bowie, near Las
Cruces. and elsewhere The people
have nut M their money in those towns
only to be disappointed. John W
Clark has proved that he is able 10 put
down the well and test the possible
ties for oil in this section. IL would
seem the rart Of wisdom to get behind
him with all the material assistance
that Is possible. IL is worth far mort
than II will cost and by foregoing i'm
mediate profits Of speculative ma
tire. the legitimate profits Of a proven
ol region viii accrue to those public
,Di.ited enough 70 get the vision.