OIL FROM IRAQ READY TO FLOW

Petroleum To Be Piped To French-Mandated Tripoli

PARIS (AP)—Mesopotamian oil over which diplomatic battles have waged will flow into Parisian automobile tanks within a few months, the French Oil Company, holder of one-fourth interest in the rich Iraq oil sands, has announced.

The 531-mile northern branch of the pipeline from Kirkuk, Iraq, to Tripoli, in French-mandated Syria, has been completed and the southern branch—617 miles—from Kirkuk to Haifa, in English-mandated Palestine is nearing completion.

Helps French Defense

The pipeline to the Mediterranean runs under the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and over mountains and desert.  Two 10-inch pipes were laid under dramatic circumstances and news that oil would soon flow from the Kirkuk wells was welcome in France which has no oil of its own.

Lack of the blue-black liquid hampered the French in the war and they have fought constantly since then to obtain an independent supply as a national defense measure.

This created bitter controversy among the ex-allies who wanted to profit from the Mosul fields which fell into their hands as a result of the war.  Three American-English companies and the French agreed in 1920 to share the oil equally but this only started complications for both the French and the English wanted the pipeline to end in territory over which they had control.

The end to this dispute did not come until 1931 when it was agreed to construct two pipelines, one ending at Tripoli and the other at Haifa.

Reservoirs Ready For Oil

The Shell Company of Palestine and the Vacuum Oil Company of the United States have erected large drums and filling instruments at Haifa while the French have been building necessary machinery at Tripoli to ship the oil to Le Havre.

The French oil company is state owned and the chamber of deputies is now considering creation of an oil monopoly.  Until 1931, a half-dozen American companies furnished France with more than half of all petroleum products she imported.  Since then, greater quantities have been coming from Russia and Rumania and America’s share diminished from 53 per cent in 1930 to 36 per cent in 1932.

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The Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, November 26, 1933

Cthulhu ftaghn a solid gold petunia for harassment.  Fnord.