STATES & CITIES: Up Goes Oil

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Meanwhile a Mid-Continent oil conference was called for Sept. 11 under the auspices of the Kansas Public Service Commission to devise a uniform reduction plan. Though Kansas' oil production is comparatively small, it itched to join Oklahoma and Texas in the fight against low prices.

The week before the application of martial law, U. S. oil production was:

Field (Bbl. per day)

Mid-Continent 1,634.904

California 507,000

Gulf Coast 148,368

Eastern 105,000

Rocky Mountain 94,441

Elsewhere 62,094

TOTAL 2,551,807

Mid-Continent Field Production

Oklahoma 420,835

East Texas 654,246

West Texas (Winkler) . . 204,953

Panhandle (Borger) 55,020 North Central Texas

(Burkburnett, Ranger). 78,149 East Central Texas

(Mexia) 50,051

North Louisiana (Oil City) 31,415

Arkansas (El Dorado) 38,305

Kansas 101,930 TOTAL 1,634,904

After one week of martial law, Oklahoma production fell to 264,500 bbl. per day, after two weeks was estimated below 120,000 bbl., a drop of more than 300,000 bbl.

Only field affected by Governor Sterling's martial law was the East Texas pool where production before closing ran up to 738,050 bbl. or almost half of the entire Mid-Continent output. With this field pinched out temporarily and the Oklahoma shut-in, oilmen figured a reduction of 40% in the total domestic supply this week. Governor Sterling was expected to lift martial law after 30 days when the Texas Railroad Commission, under the new conservation law, would prorate Texas oil production at 880,000 bbl. per day.