The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-05
GETS OIL LANDS
 IN SOUTH AMERICA
By HOLLAND

fh0A iA Wd1 diIOunNeu a lcW QlNS ago
 that the Standard oil Company of New Jersey had secured upon the northern coast of South America valuable and large concessions in oil lands, the trans action was spoken of as sufficient to in-
 dicate that this corporation does not pro-
 pose to be behind when the new and
 greatly increased demand for oil in it's
 various commercial products arises. It
 was known to a few that this corporation,
 whose managers always look far ahead
 was preparing and in fact already mad begun, 8 worldwide search for oil lands. A search of that kind. however suc-
 cessful. as already some of the investi-
 gations have proved to be, means very
 great change in our oil industry, al least
 from the international point of view.
 Until few years ago the oil lands in
 the United States were yielding oil in sui
 hcient quantities to meet the domestic
 demand and also the greatly enlarged ex-
 port trade in oil So great has that trade
 become as to Justify one of the Standard
 oil corporations in investing S75,000, coo
 in the far east for the purpose of facili-
 tating the marketing of American oil eX-
 ported to those countries.
 Then we were the chief and almost she
 only exporter of oil which was secured
 by domestic production. Now we have
 become an importer. The situation is
 somewhat similar to that which was hy-
 pothetically created when Sir William
 Crookes predicted that the worlds wheat
 belt had reached a limit of productive
 capacity and that the United States would
 ir few years be compelled to import
 wheat, although for many years our
 wheat production was sufficient not only
 for ourselves. but to provide large amount for export. Sir Williams s predic-
 tion has not yet proved true because new
 and very great wheat mills were offered
 to cultivation. So it may be that hereafter
 somewhere in the United States oLsn our
 territories as Alaska and the Ph;sip-
 pines. new and very large supplies of o>'
 may be secured. Now, however. accord-
 ing to statement made by Walter c.
 Tagle, who is president of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, that cor poration is preparing to import oil in
 great quantities and is causing investiga- ton to be made in many parts of the world Investigation has already jusJiaed ii in obtaining concessions in norf hern South America. The company is A es- tigatin gofi producing properties in Eu- rope and is already operating in Rou- mania. In South America there are a number of highly qualified oil experts and geologists who are making investigations afta WnO, It Is uEOcESlOOut nave TeDOFltu
 that the South American field is very promising.
 A STRANGE PHENOMENON It is not entirely due to the European war that the demand for petroleum prod ucts has so swiftly and wonderfully in- l creased. That increase is in part cx- plained by the new and highly important uses to which petroleum products are now put. Oil Is now to be ranked as one or the five. essential industries of the world. and it does not rank in the list In the year 1919 this industry used about 4S6,009 900 barrels of oil. That is stupendous | Increase if comparison be made with the amount of oil used as recently as ten years ago. President Teagle estimates that by the year 1925 the oil industry in the United States will need at least $50, 000000 barrels a year, and he asks where l is this enormous quantity of crude oil to come from? His own company is taking steps, wise from the economic, the busl- ness and the investment point of view, to secure anywhere in the world where oil may be found sufficient quantity to enable his company to meet, combined
 with the American production of oil, all the demands to be made upon it.
 The ablest oil leaders, however, shake their heads doubtfully, wonderingly, when they are asked what Is to be the demand | TOT OH ten wears hence instead or INe, and how is that demand to be met
 THE WONDERFUL GROWTH When Professor Huxley delivered his
 series of scientific lectures in the United
 States some forty years ago. rather
 small concert hall was found to be Sef-
 fciently large to hold all who cared to
 listen to what this distinguished man of science had to say. When Professor Ty'n- dall delivered his lectures in New York, not very large audience faced him when he spoke although he was known to be master of the art of presenting science with such charm of literary style as 10 make what was thought the driest of subjects as attractive as any romance.
 Now, one of the largest of halls in New York has not sufficient capacity for re- ving all those who are anxious to hear Sir Oliver Lodge. The great Carnegie hall has been filled when he lectured to its capacity. Not even the appearance of Paderewski in a concert programme in that hall attracted larger throngs Yet Sir Oliver has not come as a man of science. at least of material science
 He could if he chose deliver intensely lectures with electricity for the subject lie is master of the scefice of electricity. Some ten years ago, wien he visited the United States, he came IS a man of science He spent several days dt fINtdBdTd r dlEl TODueI0S, dS nus per scnal friend. Lord k-rvin, did. at inc marvel which science had s~,'- ceeded in establishing within sound of the roar of Niagara.
 Now, Sir Oliver speaks of the unknown, of the half luspecred. the unreaiizel, dimly and vaguely intimating, and yet, with every suge estion of sincerity in ali that he sayL, ttat the beyond is not chats but real and in it sojourn or dwell the spirits of the deps rted
 What is phenomenal about Sir Divers appearance is the fact that it is not himself so much as it is his mystic sub ject which draws thrones to Carnegie / T whenever he speaks. Personally he is worthy of the observant eye for he is man of magnificent figure. noble head and grave in every movement. It must be, therefore. that something more than cu- riosity, something which is not supersti- ton. is animating many more people : this country. certainly in New York. than would before the appearance Of Sir Oliver Lodge have been deemed possible. Of course. imagination sways the mTsi- trde which has heard him. and of course there is the very human feeling asso