Evening star., 1925-02-19
EXPERTS IN SPLIT
OVER SAVING OIL
So.CaIIed Doherty Plan
Would Mean Unit Operation.
Vast Stocks on Hand.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 19.-Dis-
cussion of conservation of oil supplies
in the United States has split OIL
men and conservation experts into
two distinct factions-those who view
the situation with alarm and those
who view the situation. Mining engl-
neers and geologists We're frank To
admit today that wastage exists
under present conditions of produc-
tion. They were less willing now
ever, to accede to the proposal ad-
vocated before the American lnstl-
tute of Mining and Metallurgicai
Engineers by Henry l. Doherty
eminent public utility operator.
Doherty Plan Opposed.
The so-called Doherty plan in
wolves Federal regulation of all oil
lands and production and provides
as a check to offset" drilling the
unit" operation of all American
pools by which all owners of land
under which oil is found shall be
paid proportionately instead Of be-
ing paid on a royalty basis for oil
taken from wells drilled on that land
Opponents of the plan declare thai
the time has not yet come whef
), owners or leasers of oil lands are
content to apply the golden rule and
share with others as they hope 70
be shared with. The slogan OF the
industry always has been, I'm going
to get mine,' they say. and opera
ton of the unit plan would have to
overcome human nature as well as
some OF the provisions of the Con-
stitution of the United States.
Huge Stocks in Storage.
Engineers from the Louisiana and
A,-ly
Smackover district, point out that
when oil pools are tapped fess than
20 per cent of the petroleum content
Is brought TO the surface and put into
consumption. They declare a saving
of 10 per cent in extraction would
not only check initial production and
restrict new drilling operations. but
would insure a reserve supply SUM
cient for long periods without the
necessity of recourse to Federal leg1s-
lation or regulation.
The production of the country to-
day is running well above 100000
barrels daily. There Is sufficient oil
In storage for nearly five months
consumptive demand.
DIR. Charles Q. Lucke, head of the
mechanical engineering department OF
Columbia University. declared today
that since the first oil well Splasheo
there has never been a world lack OF
oil He believes that developments
will be sufficient to provide world re-
Guirements no matter how extensive
they may be.
In addition. Mr. Lucke points out
that the coal deposits of the United
States are thoroughly we'll known anc
established. Those deposits woulc
suffice. he says, to provide fuel oil at
a by-product, sufficient for any ex'
traordinary need. without curtailine
the use of gas engines in any way
through the production of benzol ane
toluol.
Mad Rush for New Fields.
All the engineers present at tn,
meeting of the institute I'm New Yorl
were willing today to concede that
tremendous sums We're being expend-
ed in search for new oil fields- Many
however declared that this search
was inspired not by desire to provide
for future world needs. but by hope
of quick profits. Millions of dollars
are being expended in such search
For example. the Standard OIL Co. oi
California recently abandoned exten-
sive operations in the Philippine:
after expenditure of more than 81
900 900. having found no pools profit.
able to exploit in the district eX'
plored.
The same is true of mining com
panies which have conducted searche!
for gold, copper, silver and other met
ais, the engineers point out. The en-
gineers say if the hope of quick prof
were removed, the search for future
oil reserves would be abandoned ant
that the situation in future year:
would be more menacing than an!
threat of depletion is today.