The Durant news., 1946-07-04
States Oil Refinery
Processes -Four Million
Barrels Crude Oil.
us Persons Employed;
$500 Bbls. Crude
Oil Refined Daily

Yazzo City, July lover 4,0C0, 900
barrels of Mississippi crude oil have
been processed into finished pro-
ducts by the states first refinery,
The Southland Company of Yazoo
City, which began operations here
five years ago today.
The site was picked because it
was near the Tinsley Field, accord
| ing to A. A. Spencer, manager of
the company. On July /, l941, six
months after ground was broken,
crude oil from a Mississippi field
was carried for the first time through
pipe lines into Mississippi refinery.
Southland processed an average of
$500 barrels per day at the start.
Now it handles about $500 barrels of
crude oil per day, manufacturing
thousands of gallons of petroleum
products daily ready for immediate
use, without further processing.
Employment at the refinery,
which had an original staff of SO,
today employs approximately l25
persons, giving Mississippi quarter
million dollars annual payroll.
Southland, which is processing
Mississippi's newest wealth right
here at home, is turning out an
ever increasing list of finished pro-
ducts-Ethyl and regular gasolines,
napthas, solvents for cleaning estab-
lishments, and asphalts, tractor
fuels, diesel fuel, high grade motor
oil and lighter fluid.
Since Southland went on stream"
in l94l, the refinery has turned out
65, 100000 gallons of gasoline, $780,
600 gallons of solvents and naptha,
l2,50O,00O gallons Of kerosene,
2O,000,000 gallons of tractor fuel,
Is 100000 gallons of diesel fuel,
40 ,0O0,000 gallons of fuel oil, and
80 ,O0O,000 gallons of asphal suitable
for roads, roofing and numerous
other uses.
Southland operated almost from
the start under wartime conditions
and has shipped entire trainloads OF
asphalt to war fronts. Asphalt, for
instance, has gone to Sweden, South
America, and of all places, Trinidad,
famous for its "lake of asphalt"
Anyone who has driven over the
highways of the South is sure to
have missed many jolt in pave
ment joints because of the "crack
filler" used in such construction,
much of which comes from the
Southland Company refineries at
Yazoo City.
Southland also makes much of the
solvents used as cleaning agent by
| laundries and cleaning establish
mentS.
Right now the Southland Com
pany is preparing to start South
wide distribution of new lighter
fluid, and a high grade type OF
motor oil. A large new unit to take
care of production of these items is
near completion.
To assure regular delivery OF
Southland products to Mississippi
dealers, the company maintains a
fleet of transport trucks which haul
an average of 100000 gallons OF
gasoline per month.
1.-The Southland Company is COM
paratively new as a state industry"
Spencer says, but it has safely
passed the fledgling state in Missis-
sippi's industrial life. Mississippi too
is young industrially," he adds,
.Tand we at Southland like to think
of Mississippi's and Southland's fu-
ture as being poined for new era
of state prosperity.
Catron's Tank Car Stations i'll
Lexington and Goodman handle
Southland's high quality gasolines.
The Red T Service Station in Du-
rant, w. P. Taylor, owner, handles
Southland products.
Phillips Tire and Oil Station, II.
L. Phillips, owner, Tchula, also
handles Southland products.