The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-09
ALIEN HOLDINGS
IN |, s. OIL
TOTAL HIGH
Combined Foreign Investments
in American Reserves Put
at Billion Dollars.
By JONATHAN WICKWIRE.
copyright, 1924, by The Washington
mines Company,l

copyright, 1924, by The Washington
Times Company
Foreign investments in the Ameri'
can petroleum industry must foot
up well above the billion dollar
mark. Besides the Dutch-Shell
with it's $500, 900, 900 interests here,
there are sixty-eight alien holding
companies, mostly British, listed
on the London market, having orig
inal capitalization, reduced roughly
to dollar terms at current exchange
rates, of 1891 100000.
Owing to the difference in finance
reporting methods abroad as com
pared with those in use here, it is
impossible to more than guess at
what this represents in gross as.
sets. If the same ratio between
capital investment and assets pre-.
walls with these smaller companies
rs in the case Of the Dutch-Shell
subsidiaries here, the sixty-eight
would gross between seven and
eight hundred millions, bringing the
combined foreign investment at one
leap to the neighborhood Of twelve
hundred millions.
Smaller Holdings.
Besides these major holding cor
porations there are innumerable
foreign concerns whose principal
business is elsewhere, but which
have small land and minority stock
holdings in American companies,
the values of which it is impractical
to segregate. Though these values
In the aggregate must be consider
able, and in many ceses probably
are but the beginning to bigger
attempt at recording.
But tWenty-SeVen of the sixty
eight companies report the amount,
location and condition of their land
holdings. These twenty-seven re-
port total of 1890 acres owned,
leased or optioned in the States Of
California, Wyoming, Texas, Okla
homa, Kansas, Kentucky, West Vir-
GINA, Tennessee, Arizona and New
Mexico. Ten of these companies re-
port lease holdings through Ameri.
can subsidiaries, but seventeen give
no details except as to quantity and
location. The reason for this reti-
cence may be that Uncle Sam re-
Gently has frowned on the leasing
OF Government lands by alien com
panies.
Fourteen additional companies re-
port location of acreage without
indicating quantity or terms Of hold
ing, adding Illinois and Ohio to the
list Of States covered. The remain
ing companies make no report Of
land holdings, though in many in
stances this might be traced by
running down the subsidiary Ameri.
can companies in which they report
control. Several of the companies
reporting freeeholds, also report
stock control of subsidiaries whose
noidlngs, In part at any rate, prob
ABLY are leases, but give no details,
Few OF these alien companies
make any report on production.
Three comparably average concerns
report sixty-fiVe producing wells.
seven companies report ownership
In, apparently, five refineries. and
one company with several subsidia.
rles reports a pipe line from its
oklahoma fields to it's refinery in
Kansas.
AS this last company is fairly
typical of the methods Of alien
operations in this country. it's record
is given somewhat fully here.
Organized in England.
The Kansas-Oklahoma Oil and Re-
tinery Company, Ltd, was organized
In England in 1911 with f43O. 900
capital. 1t now reports ownership
OF 100000 shares in United Oil and
Refinery Company, Ltd; $4,000
shares in the st. Louis Petroleum
Company, $500 shares in Derby
Dome (Wyo) Company, and 100
shares in leases in Ohio and Han.
cock counties, Kentucky.
Data is lacking on the st. Louis
concern, but the United Oil and Re.
nnery Company was registered in
England in 1920 with $500, 900 CAPT.
tai stock, and reports ownership
through the Alluwe Oil Company
and the Kansas Refinery Company
OF 1894 acres in Oklahoma and
Kansas, with a pipe line from the
Cherokee shallow fields to its re.
finery in Coffeyville, Kan.
The Derby Dome (Wyo) Oil Com
pany Is Delaware corporation
with $1,500,000 capital operating
leases in Fremont county, Wyo.
Besides the shares owned by the
kansas.Oklahoma company, 92,1O0
or Its shares are reported owned by
t the Anglo-United Oilfields Company.
incorporated in Delaware, which in
turn Is controlled by the Anglo
United OIL Fields, Ltd, registered in
england In 1919 with $4,000 pounds
capital stock.
A Simple One .,
Whew! Well, try another one.
not quite so involved.
British Motor Spirits Company.
Ltd, registered in England in 1aii
with 100000 pounds capital, con.
trolls the Anglo-Texas Company, in.
corporated in Delaware in 1873.
~4,6OO,O0O capital, with 5000 acres
and 20 wells in Okmulgee field of
Oklahoma; also owns IS per cent of
the stock of the Louisiana Petro.
leum Products Company of Shreye.
port, La, with 81 AIS, 900 capital.
THAT'S simpler. Here is a Western
company:
Santa Marie Consolidated oilfields,
Ltd, was registered in England
with 100000 pounds capital and re-.
port ownership of 70 per cent of the
capital stock of Santa Maria ,)iI
Fields, Inc, of Arizona, with 1000
acres and IL wells in the Cat Can.
yon Field, in Santa Barbara county
California.
Theme there is the Kern River
Oil Ffelhs Ltd, registered in Eng.
land in 1910 with 1,50O,0 900 pounds
capital which reports ownership
through California company OF
the same name, of 1887 acres in
Kern county, Cal, and, through con.
troll of the st. Helens Petroleum,
Company, leases on S4S acres in
Fullerton, Mpntebella and Fuente
Nils, and a half-interest in TAO acres
under lease in Mnntnrn.. .,o.......