SCHRADER    AN 
HAWOKTII 
ND]      INDEPENDENCE    QUADRANGLE,  KANSAS.  457 
has  been  maintained  with  but  slight  exceptions  all  through  the  vari- 
ations in  prices  of  oil  during  the  last  two  years.  Early  in  the  summer 
of  1903  South  Neodesha  oil  sold  as  high  as  $1.38,  the  highest  price 
ever  reached  by  Kansas  oil. 
Since  the  marketing  of  the  oil  is  a  most  vital  question  on  which 
the  prosperity  of  the  region  depends,  it  is  unfortunate  that  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  Company  continues  to  be  practically  the  sole  purchaser  for 
the  entire  Kansas-Indian  Territory  field.  Notwithstanding  the  pres- 
ent low  price  of  oil,  due  to  overproduction  and  want  of  purchasing 
competition,  the  energies  of  the  producer,  who  is  largely  responsible 
for  the  glutted  market,  show  no  abatement  in  prosecuting  the  work 
of  development. 
Though  small  companies  may  locally  embark  in  the  oil  business, 
they  can  not  hope  in  the  long  run  to  cope  with  the  Standard.  Among 
the  projects  that  are  being  discussed  to  relieve  the  market  the  most 
plausible,  perhaps,  is  the  construction  of  an  independent  pipe  line  to 
Port  Arthur,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  about  500  miles  distant,  or  the 
transportation  of  the  oil  b}^  water  via  the  Neodesha,  Arkansas,  and 
Mississippi  rivers  to  New  Orleans,  at  either  of  which  points  it  would 
be  enabled  to  compete  in  the  open  markets  of  the  world.  The  novel 
plan  of  installing  a  State  refinery  and  causing  all  pipe  lines  to  be 
made  common  carriers  under  State  supervision  is  also  being  con- 
sidered by  the  Kansas  State  legislature. 
UTILIZATION  OF  GAS. 
Thus  far  most  of  the  gas  has  been  put  to  local  use.  It  constitutes 
the  light,  fuel,  and  power  of  practically  all  the  cities  and  towns  and 
jmost  of  the  farm  communities,  and  is  extensively  used  for  fuel  in 
drilling  and  pumping.  It  also  supplies  the  city  of  Parsons,  east  of 
the  quadrangle,  by  a  pipe  leading  from  east  of  Neodesha.  All  this, 
however,  forms  but  a  small  per  cent  of  the  amount  consumed,  and  to 
Ibe  consumed,  by  the  manufacturing  industries  to  which  this  natural 
commodity  has  largely  given  rise.  Of  the  products  the  most  impor- 
tant are  brick,"  tile,  pottery,  glass,  cement,6  flour,  oil,  zinc,  and  lead. 
The  smelting  industry  has  become  very  important  by  (he  importa- 
tion of  large  quantities  of  ores  from  the  Joplin  district  in  order  to 
make  use  of  the  gas  in  extracting  their  metals — zinc  and  lead.  Large 
pelter  plants  are  in  operation  at  Caney,  Cherryvale,  and  Neodesha. 
At  Neodesha  the  American  Portland  Cement  Company  holds  a  con- 
|tract  from  the  city  granting  to  the  company  natural  gas  from  the 
ity's  mains  at  the  rate  of  3  cents  per  1,000  cubic  feet. 
"For   a   statement   of  this   and   associated    industries   see   pp.    54(5-549. 
b  For  a  statement  of  the  cement  industry  see  pp.  506-509. 
