Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-13
OIL CONSERVATION
PLANS CONSIDERED
Leaders in Industry Present
Views at Federal Board
Hearing.

With the views OF leaders OF the oil
lie hearings just concluded at the In
terror Building, the Federal Oil Coz
servation Board will now consider the
testimony and begin preparation OF
its report to the President.
Need of some plan for conserving
the Nations oil supplies was empha
sized at the final sessions.
Opinions Of oil experts differed as
to how this was TO be best brought
about, but there was a Substantial
agreement on the necessity for action.
Petroleum supplies in sight were said
to be dwindling rapidly. and il was
declared that only discoveries of new
fields or improved methods of recov-
| cry could avert shortage.
New Finds Imperative.
! Mark Requa of San Francisco said:
I'VE have known oil in the United
States sufficient to last about eight
years if consumption does not in
crease. and if We could get il all out
| in that time. Consumption will in
| crease, and we cannot get il out in
eight years, 50 new discoveries are
| imperative.
Half Of our oil production is burned
as fuel" said Mr.. Requa That is too
much. ] do not attempt 10 set the
| limit that should be the deadline. bul
L do say the burning OF perhaps 10
000, 900 barrels Of gasoline. $4,000 GOO
or 100000 barrels of Diesel engine
oil, and . 000. 900 barrels OF lubricatinc
oil as fuel is without justification
save on the ground that cooperative
action to control production is not
permissible.
| Mr.. Requa advocated conservation.
without Government ownership or
operation, but through Il spirit OF
| legally permissible cooperation in the
| industry, a program which he said
would take years to develop.
Burning Not Waste.
Secretary Hoover who presided al
| one of the sessions said the oil
available for internal combustion
engines and fuel oil. He did not con
slider that when oil is burned as fuel il
| is wasted. The question before the
| industry, he added. was better utiliza
| ton.
Lester c. Cren. ass6 late professnr
of petroleum engineering at the Uni
versitY of California, advocated con
/ servation of natural gas in oil fields
to maintain pressure III the pools and
thus make greater recovery of oil pos
sible. Data he had collected from 1ol
California wells, he said, indicated
that lack of this procedure had re
suited in a loss to the field Of 800 900
600 barrels
Opposing any form of conservation
based upon restriction through price
l.. W. Nicholas of Chicago, president
of the National Petroleum Marketers
A association, said he leaned to con
Servation in some form or other and
suggested the consideration Of leEisla
ton to restrict the consumption OF
petroleum products to superior uses
In a paper read in mis- absence, T
A. O'Donnell Of Los Angeles recon
mended an investigation of the practi
| cability of pumping gases back into
the strata from which they came or
| into nearly exhausted pools.
! At the conclsion of the hearings
| ". S. Parish, president of the Ameri-
| can Petroleum Institute. requested
that Charles +. Hughes, representing
the institute, be given an opportunity
| to present the views OF his clients
and Secretary Work, chairman OF the
board. said this would be done.