Evening star., 1933-05-29

Governmental moves in the direction
of Federal control of the production of
oil receive approval not only from the
region of the oil wells. but also from
those who are advocates of the con-
servation Of natural resources. Waste
is held to be the great evil in this field,
| and the purpose to put the matter un-
der the Jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior is in harmony with ef
forts in other directions to make proper
use of the Nations assets and prevent
''ruinous competition"
President Roosevelt seeks results
along the lines of the greatest good to
the greatest number" asserts the Fort
Worth Telegram, with the belief
that 'he would preserve values ana
make profits commensurate with in
vestment, material and labor The
Texas paper holds that its own State
was the cause of "the Federal move
ment toward oil regulation" and makes
the comment: Since the discovery of
oil in East Texas it has been easily
obvious that this State occupied a key
position in the worlds oil industry. If
conservative stand had been taken
and maintained in one of the largest
operating fields in the North American
continent-that of East TeXas-the tre-
mendous scope of industry directly in
f1uenced by crude oil and by its by
products would not have been the fac
tor 1t was in the retardation of our
climb out of the depression. The mes
sage of President Roosevelt will doubt
less justify Congress in taking the ac-
tion recommended. 1t is the only way
out. now that every other method has
failed, and justiflable as such. Crude
oil as States natural resource should
be matter of State control. States
should conserve 1t and profit by the
revenues from it. If they will not, and
insist on wasting it. the only recourse
is to control it through species of
Interstate Commerce Commission reg
ulation. During the period of tenn
porary-and rbitrary-control of the
flow Of the East Texas field, there was
distinct improvement in the entire
Oil industry. Judging the future by the
past. it is almost certain that Federal
control will cause the oil industry to
be the leader in that which has been
called return of prosperity"
Waste of oil and gas says the Okla
homa City Times, has become destruc-
tive to heritage that cannot be re-
placed" and that paper urges haste in
measures to curb the waste that has
long been characteristic of oil develop
ment.' The Times points to the diff
ference between production of this nat
ural resource, and other activities on
the land. with the summary of condi-
tions: Surplus crops may go to the
dumps IN an effort to bolster prices,
and HUNGRY citizens make righteous
protests, but more crops will be grown.
In this fertile and productive land the
food supply of the future is long as
sured. Our numbering methods have
been ruthless and wasteful, and for
such blundering and cupidity a heavy
penalty is paid in needless floods, pol
luted streams and soil erosion. But
now the work of reforestation gains
momentum. There will be forests again
where waste lands are today. But men
have not learned to replace the mineral
wealth. once it is exhausted" The
Oklahoma paper also argues: THE
greatest service the Government can
perform in this particular industry is
to prevent future waste of oil and gas
and regulate development on sound eco
nomic lines. thus saving the huge ex-
pense of drilling needless wells. When
we realize that natural gas. worth far
more than the oil produced. has been
wasted in the Oklahoma City field, it
is evident how great is the need for
better conservation regulations than
this State has devised or enforced. That
many more wells were drilled than
would have been needed under an or
derly development on a unit basis Is
evidence Of further needless extrava-
gance here"
Something has to be done; we have
a resource that is literally being thrown
away is a statement by Secretary
Ickes. which is quoted by the Spokane
Spokesman-Review, and that paper
comments: Waste Of our national re-