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Show 34,000 Acres Involved . . . . Phillips Oil Co., Files Suit To Extend Lease Of Oil Lands Judge Willis Ritter of the Federal Court for Utah, granted a motion to consolidate approximately approx-imately 40 separate actions being be-ing brought by Phillips Petroleum Petrol-eum Company, as plaintiff, against a large number of landowners land-owners owning property around Bennett, Uintah County. Phillips Petroleum is seeking by court action to have the pro perty of said landowners declared declar-ed a part of the Roosevelt Unit and subject to the provisions oi the Unit Agreement prepared by the major oil companies, holding leases in this area. Thu unit embraces approximately 34,000 acres and provides for .pooling of lands and mineral in terests of persons owning mineral min-eral rights in this area. Should Phillips be unsuccessful unsuccess-ful in its court proceedings, aii of the lessore who are defendants defend-ants in said actions will be free to re-lease their property to other oil companies. It is the contention of the mineral interest owners thai, their leases expire in October and November 1952, and tha; Phillips Petroleum Company is attempting to change the basic provisions of the respective leas es, extending the term thereof indefinitely, without payment oi any consideration nor regard foi the interests and desires of th-property th-property owners. Upon motion of R. Earl Dill man, member of the Dillman & Dillman law firm of Roosevelt one of the attorneys for th' landowners, the court, in the in terest of saving time and ex pense to the litigants, agreed tc try all of the actions together and granted the defendants ar additional 20 days to file re sponsive pleadings to the com-nlaints com-nlaints which had been filed bj Phillips Petroleum Company. It is contemplated that th-balance th-balance of the complaints no' now on file will be brought be fore said Court within tw weeks and at that time the cas es will be set for trial. Phillips is being representee' by Senior and Senior law firm of Salt Lake City, and the casr will be argued before Judge Ri ter in the Salt Lake court o: the United States district court |