The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1952-12-05
LET'S NOT BE TAKEN in

Il MI BIZ EAAEN in
Spokesman the oil interests legislators like
Rep George OConnor Carbon in advocating the weakening
of school oil land leasing laws pleading for fair break
for the oil The myth being spread that must
the oil keep them interested in
veoping our oil resources.
For instance OConnor in Lewistown the other day stated
fail to the oil companies fairly certain to
ard development and all of in Montana will suffer equally
with the oil companies
kind that? George OConnor like all
knows that nothing other than the of
oil under our school lands is needed to maintain the
of oil companies in Montana He knows further that present
laws governing school land leasing than fair
to the oil companies Otherwise in view of his long service
the House. dating back to the midtheswhy did he not
publicly speak against he alleges be 'njus
tees" before the Wiston Basin discovered IT, he
alleges the time has when give oil operators
fair break what about the unarness shown the leg
majors who have been drilling and bringingn wells state
lands-and making handsome profit in the process?
OConnors plea for "fair break" phoney lead
dollar, but it should not be taken lightly He, the
principal legislative stewards the corporation crowd has al
ready given the tpo that he of his fellows will be
in there pitching all they revamp present oil
leasing laws to the great financial demen of the public
schools.
Now let's get this superficial argument need
for making concessions.
lobby spokesman Montana are pointing to the high
cost and difficulties involved in drilling deep wells in the Will
ston Basin important why the Montana Legislature
should relax state leasing laws They talking about
the loss incurred when dry holes sunk into
the earth How sound such arguments?
Possibly there is exploding such such
tentions which
be considerable reliable.
Speaking before the American Petroleum Institutes dvs
ion of production meeting Chicago last month"; Samuel
Bowby president of Shell Oil Company stated the Will
ston Basin responds well to the customary exploration TOOLS
and actual drilling conditions unusual overly diff
ficult -
AS for dry holes Bowby stod the Institute Since first
successful well in the United States portion of the Won Ba
sin discovered April 1851 rs wildcats have drilled
side of the BASIN resulting discoveries This
success ratio of one producing we'll out of six ATTEMPTS
pared with one in nine for the nation a whole.
And as for high costs of drilling foonoe in the Deem
Der issue OF TIME Magazine, 72, to completely
debunk that bit of oil lobby propaganda Quote ~
O hunters write off the entire of dry hole.
They write off much of the producing WE'LL
including all Intangbles' such labor fuel and drilling
materials, which amount to twohird of the More
the oil flows, 27a of is be-
of a depletion allowance"
NOTE: Under Montana law, the federal 272 per cent
depletion income tax deduction also applies
tax. Ii
All this talk about far break boils this It is
double talk designed to confuse Montana people,
the for the oil barons clean up mions-a the
of the public schools taxpayers
the 1858 Legislature has far breaks to hand out
might for change hand few to the people Of Montana
providing for sitter production and/or all
oil and natural produced in the thou
sands of barrels of oil annually being taken
nv icI