Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-23
The Baku Oil Wells
Doomed, Within Six
Months, Is Report

Baku, AZerba1lan, Oct. -S-tDy
STAFF Correspondent Of The Associat-
ed Press) Within six months the
oil fields, lying within a few miles OF
this city and once counted among the
richest petroleum wells in the world,
will have ceased to produce, accord
ing to expert opinion, unless new ma
chinery and better and more work.
men are obtained.
This condition is; acutcly realized
by the local Azerbaijan government
which is controlled by Moscow. II
the oil is not forthcoming, this Will
mean the stopping of the oil-burning
steamers of the Caspian Sea. several
hundred in number. the 1000 or more
tugboats and steamers Of the Volga
still in repair and the oil-burning To-
comotives of the entire railway sys-
tenn Of Greater Russia.
Efforts are being made to obtain
machinery, possibly from the United
States, by NJ. Serabrovsky. a trained
engineer and now general director OF
the oil fields, and also to induce
workmen to work.
The .pre-war production averaged
annually about 100000, 900 pounds
of crude petroleum. and this year it
will run about 5,O00,OOO,OOO at best.
There have been but a few new wells
this year and the old ones function
slowly. The opening up of the pipe
line to Batum for foreign export is
out of the question, as there is not
enough oil and Russia consumes
much of the present supply, herself.
The general cause given for this
condition is described by competent
oil engineers, long on the field. as the
"gangrene" of Soviet control.
Whatever the Communists touch
seems to go to rot" declared one en-
gineer. 1T seems like a fatality and
the worst Of it is that no amount of
new machinery here will remedy the
situation. New machinery would be
broken up by incompetent, underfed
workmen just as the old machinery,
has been"
This is a rather gloomy view taken
by an anti-Bolshevik. The oil fields
began to slow down four years ago.
The present Moscow rule has severely
suffered from the.sins of it's predeces-
sors here
It is feared there will be much diff
ficuty in buying new machinery this
winter, though the Azerbaijan gov
eminent has commercial mission
, at Constantinople that may go to the
United States to get capital or cred
its for the machinery.
The labor situation is much more
clear. Russia is dcnuded of her best
! thinkers, imporialistS and Commun-
| lists, and likewise Of her trained
workers. In the oil fields where are
needed 10000 men, there are now
possibly half that number, and few
of them trained, and explorers say
even these are disinclined to work
! Before the war there were 125
private companies here. and each
with managing director, and now
the work of all these directors falls
on the shoulders of few men. The
Workmen get one and a half pounds
of black bread per day and soup.
with neither butter nor meat and a
pay of 1900 rubIes Give to 10 cents)
per month, which is just the price of
Il pound Of bread.
New woriimen are being brought in
from among the troops of General,
| NranGel in Constantinople and also
from the famine zones, but with it
all there seems no way to keep the
men satisfied, or properly fed.
BLACK Town, as is called the oil
refining and delivery district. pre-
sents sad sight as compared to the
old days. The buildings of the Nobel
, refinery. the most important of the
companies represented. are going to
ruin. Makeshifts are the rule every
where.
When the Moscow Soviet took over
the Azerbaijan republic a year and a
half ago by buying up it's officials and
sending in the 18th Red army, it OK
pected to get oil for nothing