The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-12-04
Telephone Central Office Transferred
tn Neil Hill

! trail Maine Telephone Company was
tempOrari1y transferred to Neil Hill
last Monday evening Lest this an
nouncement be taken to indicate u
serious breach of thc companYs rules,
| let II be said with haste that the
change was not made until 7.30 p. IA.
and that an ample substitute force F
was left at the switchboard in the
Philbrick block to give the usual good
service for which this utility corpora
ton is noted.
= The event was a dinner and radio
party and was planned by Mrs. Paul
inc ID. Greene, local manager of the
Maine Telephone Co. Mrs Greene
was able to take with her Mrs. Leon
Fox, Gertrude A. Laney. Annette Pad
ham. Elizabeth Lewia, Ethel Lacasse,
Pearl Bernard and Mrs. Charlotte
/ Tarbox aud by her invitation, Mrs.
Ava " Sheridan and Miss Nelma 5.
yies of the independents Reporter
force, were also included in the party.
The operators made use of the resi-
dence of r. r. Patten which had been
placed at their disposal for the even
ing. Dinner was served at eight
o'clock, after which the time was oc-
cupied with singing by the whole
company gathered around the piano,
dancing by music furnished by the vic
trola and radio. and last, but not
least by consideration of the gov
eminent investigation arising out ol
the leasing of the Naval Oil Reserve.
concerning which SO much has APP
peared III the public print during the
past year
Ii is not commonly understood that
d native OF Sk0whegan, DR.. George
Otis Smith son of Joseph o. Smith,
formerly editor of the Independent
Reporter. has had an important con
nection with the Naval Oil Land Re
serve. but such has been the case
DR.. Smith has for many years been
director of the United States Geology
cal Survey. 1t was but natural that
when the desirabilty of reserying oil
land for government use became APP
parent that his department should be
called upon to recommend. 1t was
by recommendation of DR. Smith that
Elk Hill, and another large reserve
in California, was set aside and the
Teapot Dome reservation were being
established in Wyoming. The latter
has been given more prominence than
the California areas due, perhaps. to
it's peculiar name. All three, how
ever. have been in controversy and
all stand in about the same relation
TO the governments needs.
The areas referred to were found
to be very rich in petroleum. The
imperative need of providing oil for
the future use of the navy led the
government to set them aside and
place them in the hands of the Navy
Department. The intention was to
hold this oil in Jthe ground against
the time when the supply should be-
come very scarce and consequently
very expensive. Private enterprise
is sometimes. perhaps frequently, OBJ
livlous to public need. In this, case,
at any, rate big oil men east greedy
eyes oh thFse rich governmfht reseE
! ARE, a aBange inH ge9ernman polieH
Runtn' THO felecton III PresidSnt HMd
NngF Very orAsshfter THIS, sthdY
succeeded in getting the Prevalent TO-
sign an order transferring tho three
areas from the Navy Department 10
the Department of the Interior. In
this transfer, Secretary DENLY of the
Navy and Secretary Fall Of Interior
were both brominently concerned. The
Change geeips, 10 hays been .niades 70
; facilitate The leasing Sof tlfese lhnds
which was very soon carried out by
Secretary Fall. 1t is not now I'M
delstood thai the order for the trans
fer. given by President Harding, was
upon any legal authority, and the
lease given by Secretary Fall is of
doubtful legality. Even If legal, its
ACCESSIBILITY is seriously in question, as
by its term. the lessees were to take
the oil from the ground, giving the
government eight barrels out Of each
hundred, retaining ninety-two for
themselves There we're questionable
payments and considerations made ut
this time to Secretary Fall by Harry
Sinclair, who seems to have been the
chief beneficiary of the lease. These
payments were claimed to have been
in the nature Of loans. Coming at
the time they did. however. this claim
seems, to say the least. to be rather
shadowy. General Indignation was
so strong that Secretary Fall resign
ed from the Cabinet. The govern
is now seeking to have the lease an
nulled and a trial, releasing the Tea
pot Dome lease. will come of in Jan
uary al Cheyenne, Wyoming. AT this
trial. our townsman, Or. George o.
SmithAalready referred to, will be an
important witness.
The safety of any government Re
publican representative in its form
depends upon tha~general intelligence
of it's citizens If groups like the
above referred to could meet frequent
ly and discuss public matters in every
town and city throughout the land
many, perhaps all. of the evils under
which we now suffer, would be cor
rected
It is inspiring to find company Of
young people anxious to be informed
upon subject OF this kind. Perhaps
they will wish to discuss other mat
ters and il might be hoped that their
desire for knowledge. and their meth
DDS of acquiring it may be copied by
others
M II, I,I., H.nnJfu