The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-21
PROBLEMS INCREASE
who Owns the Earth?' Might
Be Topic Of Question Re-
garding World Oil
RUSSIA COMES TO FRONT
Great Fields Already Opened
Are Forerunners of Hidden
Tons of Oil Wealth

Today oil and politics are written
across tho map Of the world. Tho
cable dispatches of the iast 10 days
describing tho international contro.
vcrsies at the Genoa conference cast
light on condition and forces which
arc at work In widely scattered
areas These isturbances and per-
plexitles regarding the development
OF the Russian oil fields therefore
illustrate In concrete fashion n much
larger problem--tho world struggle
for oil and its connection with ma.
tional policies and International re-.
iations, Tho threatened exhaustion
OF oil supplies In tho United states
has therefore a direct bearing on tho
whole question and our own interest
In foreign fields OF production is real
and vital.
Furthermore, the issues involved at
Genoa relate not only to foreign
capitalistic development OF Russian
natural resources. They go deeper
and rest on the unso.ved conundrum
as to who owns tho earth. Has the
present soviet government of Russia
the right to dispose OF resources OF
national wealth and prosperity which
;vili be of vast importance to the
l, I,pssian people for generations TO
erty l. bolshevist Russia are at pres
ent m tiers OF international negotia-
| tion. Sut what Of the interests 0f
Russia itseif7 Are the rivRAffes ot
feet, Il Anut 20 detsfniYNs. the intsfc
est Of the world. at large in the 70.
coyefy ana psaceful welfare OF Rusv
stA ~ a whole7 How does the ems
tire problem Of oil production ana
supply touch the United States?
What effect is the Genoa contro-
versy as to oil likely to have on In
ternational relations and consequent
ly on our fundamental American iu-
terest In the peace and economic
restoration OF Europe?
| OIL Question 10 the Front.
II was apparent to many students
OF international affairs that the oil
question was likely to come to the
front In the Russian negotiations at
Genoa. Indeed. In anticipation OF
the Genoa conference two Russian
economists now living In exile In
Paris. have recently published USE
ful book on this very subject. Doc
tor Apostol and Professor Michelson
In La Lutte pour 10 Petrole ct la
Russle give a vivid and packed re-
view OF the entire matter: and other
oil experts have recently been In
conference on the problem In Lon
don, Paris and New York. Tho
course OF events, therefore. is not en-
tirely dependent on tho truth or
falsehood OF this or that particular
report as TO what has been done at
Genoa. Whether concessions have
bSen granted or not Is for the present
immaterial. for the negotiations re-
garding tho Russian oil fields have
I l. I.... -. o.. L.
months. II the pot has boiled over
at Genoa It 10 only natural. But the
cloud OF steam should not hide the
existing and vital economic and po-
lltlcpi problem OF oil supply for q
world that la Increasingly depend.
ent for transportation and produce
ton on tho development and markets
ing OF new oil resources Indeed
during the past few years the oil in
terest has become an additional oi-
rector on the board which watches
over the development of our modern
civilization.
In a recent admirable speech be-
fore the council on foreign relations.
Or. George Otis Smith, director OF
the United States geological survey,
pointed out that In AWerica We are
using more oil than we produce.
that the significant measure OF
mineral wealth Is tons. not dollars,
and that the true limit OF mineral
reserves is the rate of consumption,
Our rate Is steadily going up; sooner
or later. unless there Is more OIL
left In the United States than Is es-
timated at present or unless now
processes OF conservation and con-
sumption protect us. we VIII be IN
creasingly dependent on foreign OIL
supplies for essential elements IN
our economic life. Under such CIR
cumstances the development OF those
foreign oil supplies by our own busi-
ness interests may become n matter
OF national concern and necessity .
There were certain days during the
recent war when the consumption
OF oil was estimated at l2,OOO metric
tons per day. Even peace time con-
sumption of oil In the United States
had risen from 2 la barrels per
person In 1910 to Q 1-2 barrels IN
1919. The lesson is plain.
Furthermore, until 1921 almost
our only foreign source OF oil supply
was In Mexico. whose wells are by
no means inexhaustible. Elsewhere
foreign corporations had been busy
| in taking up claims or securing con-
cessions. The result was that the
| United states came into the field OF
| International competition for pros
duction later than other countries,
which by their original lack of oil
had early formed the habit OF iu-
vestment In foreign oil fields. An
additional factor was that because
OF the war and because Of oil frou1
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