THE OIL PROBLEM

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 24 May 1923, Page 6

THE OIL PROBLEM

To tbe Editor of the “Timaru Herald.”' Sir,—Y°u began your article on “The Uff Problem” Oy saying that I know, nothing about oil, and you finished by showing tfiat you entirely agreed with almost everything I had said concerning oil. You made it perfectly clear, that we are in full agreement on the ioiiowmg essential points:—Oil has assumed a tremendous importance in the economics of the woiid; America dominates the oil trade of tue world; xo produce, supply and conserve oil there should be international co-opera-tion and collaboration with a prorating among the nations and interests involved in the production and distribution of oil; to insure this co-operation it is essential that confidence, harmony: and good feeling exist among the nations; and to establish these the policy of the open door should be the policy of all nations interested in the oil industry; all influences calculated to arouse international suspicion, fear, hatred or retaliation should be strenuously opposed by all who are concerned with world peace and continued prosperity, and in the unhindered advance of civilisation.

Because we are agreed on all these points we are also agreed that it is out 4 duty to oppose the hostile group of oil speculators which has already created fear, suspicion, hatred and retaliation in the United States and elsewhere. Here we have the crux of the whole discussion (which, by the way, you have not yet touched upon, and I am wondering what your readers will think of your prolonged silence on this point, which should have been the. very first to claim your attention), which is this; Does this disturbing group of oil mono, polists exist, or does it not? I hav& shown that it does exist, and I have mentioned some of the daring and dangerous things it has already done. Perhaps when you declare yourself on this point we may again be in complete agreement upon it, in which case the only remaining ground for disagreement would be the likelihood or otherwise of that group so intriguing as to precipitate war, as similar groups have undoubtedly done in the past. The following quotations will show, your readers how much this group has already disturbed the peace of the world, how much it has done to upset all those nice things which you and I believe are so essential to world peace, and how far it has led us on the broad road that leads to war. In October, 1919, an American oil prospector, having read m his Bible, no doubt—that there were asphalt deposits on the shores of the Dead Sea, arrived in Jerusalem. “The British General who was Governor of the town,had him arrested. President Wilson protested in London, urging equal treatment in all countries under the control of the League of Nations. He was told that all prospecting had been prohibited in Palestine.” (The policy of the closed door.) : Mr Thomas A. 0 Donnell, President of "the Petroleum Institute of America, addressing the International Chamber, of Commerce, in referring to the abovementioned group of English oil specu--lators, and its capture of the British Foreign Office, said: “Such proceedings are ‘not’ in the interests of the future peace of the world.” O’Donnell, of course, may be a black-eyed pessimist. Franklin Iv. Lane, formerly Secretary; for the Interior, speaking on the same subject, said: The policy of tho British Foreign Office “lias inspired among Americans the fear that Britain, in acting thus, desired to check the naval development of tho United States. Now, do such proceedings lead to peace or war?” This man may have been mad of course, and imagined war in. every tin of petrol. Francis Delaisi, a! French authority on oil, says: To obtain and to keep oil, these two rival nations, Britain and America, arc ready, to bring into action all the economic and military weapons at their disposal. Thus the question of oil has entered the danger zone of diplomatic rivalries, and all nations will have to take part, i But this Frenchman, who, although believed by economists and statesmen to be an authority on oil and oil engendered politics, may, nevertheless be an ignoramus, who knows nothing about oil; so let us bury and forget the subject.—l am, etc., URGENT.