Evening star., 1922-12-14
OIL MAKING CITY
RICHEST IN WORLD
Long Beach Cannot Count
Her Gold, Since First Drill
Fifteen Years Ago.
Special DISPATCH TO The Star.


LONG BEACH. Calf. December IA.
This city today bids fair to be the
richest city in all the world. The
golden stream is flowing into her cot-
fers so fast and in such an increasing
volume that she has lost count Of 1t. |
TO say nothing Of devising Il way to
spend 1t. A short year ago she did
not dream that such a thing was
possible. The discovery Of oil upon
city property has wrought the change.
But Long Beach did not start out
! 10 be rich city: she intended only
to be happy and contented village
some thirty years ago there was no
| Long Beach-just a strip of friendly
! snore on a summer sea. 1t became Il
village of homes. From the first there
was opposition 10 its growth. This
| mas persisted. but, as though through
sheer perversity. il is now thriving
city of l20 900 inhabitants.
! VI course, many Of the newcomers
had big progressive ideas about Long
| heacn becoming great city. an in
I dustrlal and commercial center, and
nave fought for the realization of
these IDEAS. The conservative ele-
ment however. which held to TIL.
/ ideal that Long Beach should be
| happy and contented city of homes
! has remained in the majority Sew
| eral years ago the city was virtually
] FORCED to acquire a large tract of
! land In the region known as Signal
| Hill i'll order to drive streets and
| roads through ii to take care of
pressing traffic problems. This was
considered q hardship by the old resi-
dents. even though the land. regard
F., ed as next to worthless. was bought
at low price. The old-timers. most
| of them coming from farms of the
| middle west, were tax hardened and
| were strong against having to pay
| for improvements that would not have
been necessary if the city hadn't
grown as it was not expected to do.
Choice Drilling Location.
Some fifteen months ago one of the
1 big oil companies started to drill a
! hole into the bosom of Signal Hill
i Oil gushed forth and the rush was
on Then it was discovered that the
j city of Long Beach held title to the
! choicest drilling locations in the line
! of production.
j The city fathers weren't interested
f, in oil. bus when u persistent oil pros
| pector offered fair royalty and a
! bonus they accepted the cash bonus
I on the theory that every little bit
| helps, and went on about their busi-
! ness. \ 4usher was brought in on
| this leased tract surrounded by other
; city property. The city fathers be-
gan to sit up and take notice They
were beSieged by offers from all sides.
| but We're content to bide their time.
| AS the wonder field developed and
! other wells We're brought in on city
property already leased. offers We're
doubled and redoubled 1t was such
a certainty that it was only neCeS-
sary to drill Il hole on some of this
city property to get oil that reliable
companies made the unheard-of offer
to give the city as royalty 80 per
cent of all oil produced in return for
leases. The city has now made a
number Of such leases and wells are
going down as fast as the rotary
drills can make holes.
In the meantime. with new produc
ton coming in ;Slmost daily, the city
has to make almost a daily revision
From a matter of a few thousand
dollars a year as possibility the
actual income soon began to promise
the astounding figure of 100000
vised next day. The city is now re-
ceiving approximately S150,00O
month, and with the new wells to
come in on 4 $3.50 basis nobody can |
estimate what riches Will come. 1t
may amount to millions Of dollars a
year. !
S:sOO.OOO for Royalty.
Inc CITY aITeduS lids FoV".VoV .h 4
cash in it's treasury from royalty. but |
it is not happy. 1t doesn't know
what to do with it. Starting tomor- |
row it could become taXless city
and then have a large surplus to |
spend as it pleased.
If a vote were taken in the near
future it is a safe guess that the ma
jority would lean to the side OF a
taxless city. with possibly the estab- !
Iishment of Il foundation that may
make the city forever taxless: ,s
Crude oil, however. is smelly ana
oooey. and a lot of the people are
up in arms because some Of the " we1is ,hs !
whole landscape WITH spray OF OIL;
Citizens, awakened by roar, ma OIL
floating in their windows. seepins
down the chimneys and clogging up
the drain pipes. The next morning
they look over what was once tnelt
happy home, and then are against
the Whole proposition. from start to
finish. nav .,so
ah;eya sudden riches in the near fu- |
ture. Several wells are drilling near