Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-10
BOARD NEAR CLOSE
OF OIL INQUIRY
Findings on Means of Pre-
serving Resources Will
Go to President.

BY the Associated Press
The Federal Oil Conservation Board
today received from leaders in the in
dustry final symposium Of suggeS-
tons for preserving the Nations pc
troleum resources preparatory to
drafting its report to President Cool
idee. who created the hoard
Guided by Secretary Works open
ing address A 3 chairman Of the board.
in which he said il was desired to
know how oil deposits SHOULD be safe
guarded through q national policy,
Spokesman for several branches Of
the industry offered varied proposals.
including elimination of waste within
the trade and revision of affecting
laws
The conference. which will CON
clude tomorrow. will close the boards
long investigation Of all phases IF the
industry. Cabinet members whose
depa rtments are concerned with use
and conserva ton Of oil in behalf ~
the Nation have been assigned as
chairmen Of various meetings. Sched-
uled for the two DAYS
Asks for Opinions
Secretary Work asked To-! opinions
whether there Is sound reason for
presenting there is. or is not an in
United States whether the Industry
and Government are. through haste
and waste. squaudefirg our national
resources whether consumption and
production are economically regu-
lated" and as Ia other phases of the
industry.
The country now consumes approx
mately all the crude petroleum. and
as"line it produces each year. he
said. adding: "TTnw long at this rate
can We. s nation. maintain our
equilibrium in nlanufa"rure2" Another
important question. h. said was
whether petroleum was being judi
ciouslv used as fuel
The Secretary expressed disa pproval
| Of the oil leasing act Of 1921 declar-
ing 1t had resulted in exploitation
and that two attempts to have it
modified 10 vest discretion with the
| Secretary OF the Interior had failed
Petroleum Shortage Predicted.
Possibility "f petroleum shortage
al any time unless present laws are
changed was predicted ny Henry l..
! Doherty Of New York He believes
! present production Of petroleum Ia
! wasteful and in excess Of real needs
! nd that the cause was he law per
hitting intensive individual develop
ment Of pools As remedy he sug-
| eested adoption Of the unit plan of
! oil pool deVelOpnenr.
| Arguing for revision az laws affect
ing the industry. Mir. Doherrr declared
"a petroleum. pool j. by nature incap-
! able Of being divided M and operated
according IN The surface divisions that
| have arbitrarily hren created. i must
he deyeloned a. unit T" prevent
| both the waste - petroleum. and gas
| and economic waste as we'll.
| Al present We need only 70 rescind
| all present laws and pass one law pro
! viding for the unit operation Of pools.
If We We're allowed 10 develop our
! pools as units there would be no ne
! cesSitv for any Government regulation
| or supervision.
| CONSUMPTION by tmtos Estimated.
= F. kettering general ma ager
Of the research division of the Ger
eral Motors Corporation. said scientific
Investigation made il reasonable TO
eXrecr that automobile mileage per
. gallon Of gasoline might sometime he
r1utipliad three - four times. hut he
, suggested Development Of fuels con
tanning anti-knoCk compounds so that
more efficient engines could he pro
duced
The need for State legislation To aid
( he industry WIS recred nv Amos /.
.
who said one Of the chief difficulties
10 such program was that few states
were a. much interested in oil con
Servaiion as they We're in oil de-
yelopment.
states that produce none are anx-
: ioliS t." hacuma producers. he said.
! states hat produce little are anxious
. 10 rrndUce more.
8 Mr. Beatty advocated a minimum
I Of Government control Of the in
dustry. asserting that economic con-
4 ditions would in time effect a cure
Of many evils md hat scientific re-
search would d" even more. He said
millions Of dollars could he saved
through proper drilling. and he ad-
vacated n State law which would
make enforceable q agreements between
! competing opera tors To suspend drill
! ing operations for given periods Of
I time.