Show THE OIL SHALE MINING INDUSTRY the following editorial item is reproduced from the mining alining and scientific press of the instant A sum suin of has been asked by the U S bureau of mines for investigation of the possibilities ties of obtaining oil from shale an official bulletin says sas that notwithstanding the considerable amount of moneys which have been expended up to the present time there is not an oil shale plant producing oil in commercial quantities in the united states what is needed we e are told is essential and fundamental information asif dr alderson and his friends had been giving some other kinds of information we venture to suggest that the standard oil company and other oil companies could furnish all the data needed on the subject for foi the purpose of correcting the misinformation formation circulated by enthusiasts and wildcat wild cat promoters but probably they prefer to keep their in information in cold storage th the e salt lake mining alining review does not wish to start something 21 by criticizing t the attitude of the journal quoted though a number of its recent utterances have compelled the impression to take root that it does not propose to admit that the oil shale mining industry which is only just abor nin has anything of the legitimate in it until the standard oil or some other weighty and mighty industrial concern or combination gives gies it an approving 0 K if we are cor erectly informed a number of the subsidiaries of standard oil already have acquired thousands of acres of oil shale lands in colorado and utah and they are reported ported le to be spending large sums of money in conducting tests therefore the press suggestion that standard oil could furnish all the data needed on the subject has some apparent foundation in fact but because these interests do not see fit to publish their findings is no logical reason why others should not go ahead and conduct investigations also nor is it any reason why other investigators ti should be referred to facetiously or disparagingly the potentialities of the oil shale mining industry are admittedly beyond believable computation geological survey experts who have made a study of its possibilities have openly declared that the count rys oil yielding shale deposits may reasonably be expected to produce ten times as much oil as can be expected from ordinary oid inary oil wells that it is simply a matter of devising mining and processes that will insure profit in operation it is not necessary to hold back and do nothing until the standard oil or any other concern counted as solely competent by the press shall have shouted eureka several combinations of california capital including col D 0 jackling and his associates socia tes are aie known to have acquired large holdings of oil shale lands in colorado and utah and no one believes for a moment that these interests will stand around with arms folded waiting to ao learn what the standard oil decides to say or do in the matter of public enlightenment should someone else be first in proving up successful methods of commercializing commercial izing these wonderful oil shale measures we believe the standard oil would as quickly grant recognition as though the result had been attained through the efforts of its own staff of engineers and chemists the press seems to be dreadfully afraid that it might say something which would or could be taken advantage of by enthusiasts and wildcat wild cat promoters in looking back only a few years the fact is readily visualized that the enthusiastic promoter has been altogether responsible for first attracting wide attention to the oil shale deposits probably some of them have gathered big profits illegitimately but it is perfectly safe to say that a much larger percentage of them have sustained losses which their enthusiasm impelled them to honestly believe could not be incurred to illustrate this point it is only necessary to imagine what has been done in the matter of developing the petroleum fields of the country to contemplate the number of dry holes that have been drilled adrille d in the expectation pec tation and hope of bringing in gushers bushers gu millions have been squandered in backing stock promotion schemes and dishonest promoters in the past and the process will continue world without end k therefore let us not worry and fret over what some wildcat wild cat promoter may do let us keep an eye on the men and interests who are going to make the oil shale industry one of the biggest and richest propositions in hl the business world |