Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-12
ASSAIL FALL-DENBY
EXPLOITATION POLICY
Call for Complete Tnvcstisa-
tion OH Basis of Resolution
of Senator La Toilette.
~ LAND-GRABBIN SCHEME
'Sscr' contracts Tend TO Perpctuntc
Monopolistic Control of
Industry.
lRy United N-ws.l,

""ht oi! producers of the country h,ya
"eHnn an organized attack upon rho
administration policy OF exploiting
natural resources. more speciicaIlv
tn" naval oil reserves.
complaint Of the independents inst
I"id before tn" senate. calls for y
coTpl"t" investigation on the hasis
or the La Toilette resolution and
comes al time when gasolin. prices
throughout the nation have iust
been given another boost by tho bir
companies.
In connection with the pric. ad
vance In gasoline, II is noteworthv
'hat TWO OF the bases upon which
th@ independents lay their protests
embrace this language:
|, There is NOW above ground and
IN storage In IN. United States The
greatest amount of oil in storage in
the history ~ All time" ,This fac,
was recently confirmed by the United
states Geological SurveyD
>. Turning over OF government.
Tor exploitation Will have the direc,
result OF depressing the price of
crude oil without in any way re-
hurdensome high prices OF refined
products which include gasoline
Filed by Gray.
The protest was hled with the SEN
ate by w II. Gray. president OF the
National Association OF Independent
Oh Producers. representing concerns
IN ONO. West Virginia Kentucky.
Texas. oklahoma, Kansas. Pennsyl-
vania and Wyoming Generally
speaking. tho issue raised by tn. in
dependents is whether the delivery
nf the naval reserves of III. United
states 10 the Standard Ol-SInclar-
Doheny interests constitutes re-
turn TO the er.. OF land grabbing and
carpet ba GGinG, whose hydra head OF
iniquity was crushed by the policy o {
President Roosevelt nearly a decade
ago"
Declaring the association unal,er-
ably against the method of leasing
public land without competitive bid
ding as eNemplifed in the recent
contract entered into between Secrc-
iary FAN. OF the Interior. and Sec
retary Denby. of the Navy. and the
standard l-Sinclair-Doheny Inter
ests." Gray's protest says:
Ask InfestiKHtiOn.
we ask that the committee ap-
pointed by your honorable hody
authorized by the La Toilette reso-
iution) Investigate the contracts
above referred to with view to
determining whether or not they tend
To perpetuate monopolistic control
or the oil Industry, and whether or
not they tend to violate the spirit
,,.h.
or not the effect OF these contracts
wiil be To create monopoly of the
oil trade with the navy
Ihe Independents claim there
exists mo emergency or necessity"
which would warrant opening of the
naval reserves for exploitation at
TINS time. and that the Fall-Denby
poicy is at variance with the policy
enunciated by President Harding last
year when he requested that crude
oil he placed on the free list so as
10 encourage new Developments with
American capital in other countries.
thus conserving and husbanding our
own petroleum resources for our fu-
lure protection and upbuildinG" The
further claim IS made that in makine
the California and Wyoming oil re
serve contracts. Secretary Fall
avoided competitive bidding. thus
pursuing different policy in these
reserves than has been pursued in
other public land lease grants.