Victory Meeting of Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association

A STAFF REPORT

Registration see tit.» at Rice Hotel* Houston, Texas

1 1 o ON κ could mistake the jubilant a t t i ­tude of the oil men who swarmed over the Rice Hotel in Houston, Tex., for t he twenty-seventh annual mooting of t he Texas Mid-Cont inent Oil and Gas Asso­ciation on Oct. 17 and IS. Officially styling the gathering as the "Victory Meeting", and celebrating the part tha t petroleum played in winning the war, they were also able to convene their general membership for the first t ime since 1943. In the words of President Fred W. Shield of San. Antonio, this was probably t h e most important meeting in the history of the association. ' O n the one hand," he said, "it symbolizes the successful comple­tion of our service as civilians, fighting the batt le of oil and gas production with worn-out rigs and tired-out sucker rods. On the other hand, it brings us together at a t ime when great uncer ta in ty—both international and domestic—makes us pause and consider . . . what lies ahead for our nation, our s t a t e , and ourselves."

National business, national oil policy, and the economic problems t h a t face oil operators today were featured.

Russell B. Brown, general counsel for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, opened up on the crowd with ammunition enti t led "Nat iona l Oil Pol­icy". He laughed a t those who slate with alarm tha t the United States needs an oil policy, and reminded his listeners t h a t to imply there is no such oil policy, merely because there is no printed and bound document labeled a s such, is an error of great magni tude. I n summarizing a few of the elements of national policy, as stated in legislation and otherwise, he re­marked t h a t t h e indust ry and the states which contain oil and gas fields have had a leading role i n the formation of what we may call our na t ional policy. Mr. Brown commended Congress for having preserved what he called one of t he most important elements of our oil policy of t h e past—the maintenance of the tradit ional svstem of

land titles whereimder the titles to surface and minerals were not severed. In the course of his address ho broadly outlined the objectives sought today: a large reserve t h a t will yield a daily amount capable of satisfying emergency needs produced comfortably without haste or waste, assuring a full supply of products at reasonable prices to the consumer; and "economic climate" which will main­tain ihe industry in heal th and vigor. " T o obtain these conditions," he stated, " the national oil policy mus t be directed toward the preservation and expansion of the domestic industry." His final point was "we are capable of providing our major requirements of petroleum from our own sources".

Cedric Foster , noted news analyst, drew a capacity crowd of unusual at tent iveness t o his presenta­tion of "Problems of the Post­war World" . Summing u p our winning of the war and what we must do to win t he peace in t he one word "un i ty" , Mr. Fos­ter ' s speech was highly colored with viewpoints expressed hy Gen. MacArthur . Emphasiz­ing . that we mus t know our neighbors, both within this country a n d without, all colors and all creeds, he said t h a t we mus t work shoulder to shoulder.

Jubilance was again t he note when the time came for be­stowing mater ial recognition on outstanding oil leaders. Plaques a re given, each year by the association t o the major company executive and the in­dependent oil operator who have, in the opinion of the membership, made the greatest contr ibut ion t o t h e industry dur ing the year. Ted Swigart, president of the Shell Pipe Line Co., and George A. Hill, Jr. , of the Houston Oil Co. of Texas,

received the major and independent awards, respectively.

Also str iking the keynote of victory, Assistant Secretary of Navy John W. Kenney spoke on behalf of Secretary Forres-tal- Telling t h e story of petroleum in the war, he praised the oil industry of Texas, stating t h a t "if all of us depended on oil, then oil depended on Texas". Backing up this assertion, lie said that nearly three-fourths of all our wartime oil needs were supplied by Texas, as well as half the natural gas needs for aviation fuels. W i t h "Oil and Victory" as his subject, he brought out. a graphic relationship—the most oil was consumed by our fleet a t the time of ou r mos t important victories.

I n a unanimously adopted resolution, the oil men asked early enactment by Congress of legislation clearly defining the jurisdiction of the Federal Power Com­mission. From the economic standpoint were presented discussions of "The Oil Producer and the Gasoline Tax" by John S. Reddi t t , chairman of the Texas High­way Commission, a n d "Price Fixing by Governmental Agencies" by Clint C. Small of Austin. At the business session, all officers were re-elected.

No t s topping at victory in t he petroleum field, t h e oilmen adjourned t h e second afternoon to t h e River Oaks Country Club for their annual golf tournament.

Ted Sivigart, president, of Shell Pipe Line, receives plaque from Maston, Nixon, Be­low. Russell B. Brown, general counsel

for IP A A, and Cedric Foster, neiva analyst

2910 C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S