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Show 34 COMNIISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. the mid-continent field on the day of the sale. During the last year several thousand nonproducing leases have been canceled, evidently be-cause of the depressed condition of the industry. Wells to the number of 4,161 have been drilled, of which 3,243 were productive of oil, 322 of gas, and 596 were dry. The Lawton and southwestern Oklahoma fields appear now to be clearly defined, owing to the large number of dry holes surrounding them. With the exception of the Gushing field there has been a material decrease in drilling operations. New developments were confined, principally to a small oil field known as the Boynton-Haskell field, northwest of Boynton, Okla., and the Ada- Loco gas field. In the Boynton-Haskell field, which is very irregular and uncertain, 76 wells produced an average of 4.617 barrels per day. The gas fields in the vicinity of Ada and Loco, Okla., are very prom-ising in the way of gas production. The most important discovery in unproven territory is the Paden well, in section 8, T. 12 N., R. 7 E., drilled to the top of the oil sand 2,800 feet November 10,1914, with a showing of about 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas, and some oil. The well was shut in by the Prairie Oil & Gas Co. November 15, 1914, owing to the already congested condition of the oil market. The land for miles around this well has been leased, and approximately $200,000 in bonuses has been procured for the Indian owners. A careful inspection and supervision is being given to the physical operation of oil and' gas leases on restricted Indian lands by the in-spectors employed under existing law. This inspection has undoubt-edly resulted in saving considerable money and property to the Indian lessors. With regard to the waste of oil and gas in the mid-continent field, the Bureau of Mines and this office are receiving the hearty cooperation of practically all of the operators in the field. Everything points to a speedy recovery in market conditions. The rapid decline in production from the Gushing field, efforts on the part of the pipe-line companies to buy up storage oil, and the increase in the capacity of independent refineries in Oklahoma and Kansas have been factors in strengthening the oil market. Transportation facilities have been greatly increased by reason of the building of new pipe lines and extensions of old ones. 1t is ex-pected that the pipe lines will soon be taking the entire production of the oil and gas, which, of course, will mean increased activity and renewed energy in all departments of the oil and gas industry. Oil and gas mining operations in Oklahoma on allotted Indian lands outside of the Five Civilized Tribes and the Osage Reservation have remained practically at a standstill during the last year, al-though there has been considerable activity in the leasing department. A few promising wells have been brought in. The magnitude of the oil industry to the Indians of Oklahoma, which includes the Five Civilized Tribes and Osage Nation, may be |