The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-03
OIL COMMISSION
 IS URGENT NEED, WORK DECLARES
Seeks Action On Depart.
 ment's Reclamation >u Program

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.-Creation of a permanent federal oil commission with a view to conservation, congress sional action on the new reclamation program, improvements in the admins tration of the country's island posses sions, and legislation to increase the internal efficiency of the interior de- partment were recommended by Secre- tary Work today in his annual report:
 The secretary did not discuss the oil situation at length, but he declared formation of a commission of cabinet members to deal with it was "an urgent necessity"
 Public Works Bureau Urged
 He suggested that within the interior department itself there was need of new bureau of public works, in which all construction and engineering work performed by the government could be centered. He also advocated the con centration into one department and un- der one member of the cabinet of the territorial affairs of Alaska and Hawaii:
 The report contained q hint that a general overhauling of the public land laws may be recommended later to Congress.
 The results of the recent reorganiza- tion of the pension bureau, which clipped $266,OOO from the annual pay roll and enabled the bureau to return S56,OO0 of its appropriation to the treasury, were praised by the secretary as constituting a measure both of econ omy and efficiency.
 Mine Safety Furthered
 An outstanding accomplishment in the bureau of mines during the year was said by the secretary to be the develop ment of close co-c>r1Ition with the Brit ish mines department, whereby the re- suits of British experiments and research directed towards greater safety in mining will be available to American engineers, and the results of ureau Of mines studies will be available to the English. It was in this connection that he made his only direct reference to the oil situation:
 "The production of oil from the pub lie lands, exclusive of the naval petro- leum reserve, amounted to nearly 4O,- 100000 barrels during the year, from which the government obtained nearly 5000, ,OOO barrels of royalty oil, valued at slightly more than $12,O0O,O he said. Of this sum, 90 per cent was returned to the states, either directly or through the reclamation service, and the remaining 10 per cent went to the federal treasury to cover the cost of supervision. The actual cost is about one-third this amount, the remainder available for general expenses of the government. Supervising the produc- tion and gauging of the 10000 1000 bar rels cost the government only $25O,OOO.
 Commission Advocated
 "The formation of a permanent fed eral oil commission, to include the secretaries of war, navy, interior and commerce, to study the conservation ot our oil deposits and more thorough and economic methods of recapture, to be comprehended in a national continuing oil policy, is an urgent necessity in tht interests of the public.'
 In asking for congressional authority to effect certain congratulations within the interior department, Mir. Work de clarded that much had been done at ready toward eliminating duplication but that other necessary steps could moi be taken without legislative enactment As a proof of the svaing which resulted from the reorganization steps taken thus far he cited the appropriation for his depa artment for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1925, which is $29O,473 ol S35, 1898 less than for the preceding year An appropriation of $267, 7S5, ,596 i! asked for the year closing June, 1926.