South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-01-15
CALIFORNIA SETS
RECORD FOR OIL
New Fields in Los Angeles and
Orange Counties Help
Production.

SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. 14.-Dur-
ing the year just closed California
established a new record in the pro-
duction Of crude petroleum. Ac-
cord,ng TO estimates prepared by r.
l. COLON. state oil and gas super
visor. California production for the
year 1921 Will be close TO la. 900
600 barrels. This production ex-
ceeds that OF 1920 by over 5000, 900
barrels 1t is the greatest quantity
Of oil yet produced in a single year
in California CALIFORNIA; produc-
ton record for 1921 will exceed
that Of any other producing
state.
In the face of the greatest pro-
duction in the states history the oil
business in California has remained
fairly steady. although the local
over productioh. general industrial
depression and sympathetic ad-
justment to the slump in eastern oil
hclds caused two drops i'm the price
e crude. at the we'll, during the
year. However. the oil business in
California was not subjected 10 the
hIlltlAL nutAu dLAOllo NllANIl etllFNAtii
the industry elsewhere in the United
States 1t is probable that the exist
ing price of crude OIL at the we'll,
will be increased in 1922.
dig Monthly Output.
California entered the year 1921
with available stored oil reduced to
a minimum and the oil business ex-
erting itself 20 increase production
10 a pace in keeping with the indi-
Gated demands for 1920. However,
there came a curtailment IN de-
mands for petroleum, and early in
1921 marketing companies started
running part OF the crude oil into
storage. For the first eight months
OF 1921 production averaged 1O,1OO,-
600 barrels per month.
Early in 1921 the state oil and gas
supervisor predicted a production OF
over 100000 900 barrels for 1921.
These hgures were not met, how
ever. because Of the oil workers
strike IN the san Joaquin valley
fields during part OF the month OF
September and all of October.
which retarded producing opera
tions TO the extent of leaving over
= 600 900 barrels Of oil in the ground
which. under normal activity. would
have been produced and run into
storage. The san Joaquin valley oil
fields produced SIS percent Of their
normal output during the strike.
The Elk Hills oil field. which earlJ
i'm 1921 was producing as much oil
as the combined production of Coal
inga. Belridge and Lost Hills. pro-
duced almost 10 full capacity dur
ing the strike.
tO.15O, 131 Barrels I'm May.
The maximum monthly produc-
ton for California, in 1921, was
reached during May. The produc-
ton was 1880 31 barrels. During
Nav ~ walls in the Elk Hills pro-
duced 1.7s4.156 barrels OF oil. that
IS. less than one-half or one percent
~ the oil wells OF California pro
ducCd Il percent OF its oil.
In district No. 1. which includes,
among others. Los Angeles and or
anRe counties. the production was
considerably increased during the
year by the discovery OF several
new fields and tho unusual develop
ment Of such fields rs Huntington
Beach Shell Co. OF California. con-
tributed the Long Beach OIL field by
bringing IN a we'll on Signal Hill.
Union Oil CO. OF California. greatly
extended the productive area al
santa Re Springs.