The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1929-04-12

/
we tell the truth
about many things. sometimes pro-
foundly, sometimes fiippantly,
sometimes recklessly. -.
The big oil men of the world got
together and made whoopee. They
said they were all for conserving the
worlds oil. That is very laudable.
Oil ought to be conserved. There can
be only so much of it. When that's
gone-Rollo is right, it will be gone.
The big oil men said it would be
nice not to take out of the ground
any more oil than was taken out in
1928, which was plenty. 1t sounds pa
triotic-world patriotism, in fact, for
it was world compact. All the big
oil combines were in on the agree
ment.
Now something like that ought to
be done. 1t sounds o. K, even if
they do say it. They ought to know
something about the oil business.
But this oil business is the busi-
ness of all of US, in a large way. 1t
is fair to try to see what makes the
wheels go round and what happens
when they go.
As for conservation, it is clear that
when there is no more oil lot of
wheels will stop running. Machinery
cannot run without fabrication. to saw
nothing of the vast amount run BY
internal combustion, which means OF
for power, too. 1t is not pleasant te
look ahead to the time when there
will be no oil to use for oiling anc
running machinery.
Conservation is right. What look.
queer about this proposition is tha
the big combines are to do the con
serving in world trust. 1t may no
be called that, but it comes to that
Nobody else gets word in anywher
about the rules--or the profits, whicl
almost concededly will be enormous
Many men and women will ask VIII,
so few men should have such vas
power But the big fellows pay scan
heed to that, for they know wei
enough that not many will ask ques
tions, and the few will soon get tire
Of it and go back to their cross-wor
puzzles, radio logs and reforming.
$ The fact is, getting away wit
!, things is the easiest thing done i
), these days.
Read, if you will, of Wall stree
prices and profits, of easy money an
e twenty for one stock dividends. Rea
n then of the rayon strikers in Tennes
4 see who struck against wages of ST
a week! On every hand there is
fearsome mixture of enormous prof
its, high wages, low wages, overtim
S employment, unemployment, terribl
G hand toll, amazing automatic machir
4 everything from jungle to pa
:; ace, within the span of continer
and under the same swing around tn
circle.
In the midst of everybody's bi
and little interests and conflicts, tt
oil barons of the world come togetht
and make this agreement to cut dow
the oil output. They may believe the
are patriotic. They may be as sil
l. cere as men can be- They may ha,
IS a big idea. But whatever their ide
e they cannot, if they can go throug
is with their plan, help making emo
n mouse profits, they cannot help beir
n bigger czars than they were last yea
It they cannot help getting a tight
q strangle hold on a world that mo-
and more runs on oil and that son
.e day will run out of oil.
ID 1t is all wrong, somewhere al
~ somehow. What little competitit
le there has been for the oil kings h;
ID come from the harried and worrit
Independent. The big fellows are tr
lie ing to rout him out. They are tryir
lie for lead pipe cinch and they w
t. probably get it.
n But by the same token democrat
is and self-reliance and self-control con
IS in for another sock in the neck. I'll
n, armies of workers in the oil industl
u have nothing to say. The world
IS consumers has nothing to say. A ha
~ dozen glorified monarchs of oil
y the saying, and if they don't G
away with it right now they are lik
IN ly to some other day. 1t is all to II
lie bad in its social phases, whatever ma
Is be the economy of it. And after a
the social phases do amount to som
sr thing. Mems sway over men must r
r main in the plural if life is to vie
IS it's finest fruits.
IN W0MEN'S RUI, FATT s