File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [‎113r] (230/368)

Thio Jocame.it ia the Property of Hia Britannic Majesty s GoTenunenL]
ASIATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA. [December 28 1
- —
CONFIDENTIAL. Section 4.
[46724] No. 1 .
Mr. Marline/ to Sir Edward Grey.—{Received December 28.)
(No. 976.)
Sir, Constantinople, December 17, 1909.
0]S receipt of your despatch No. 337 of the 27th October last, I caused enquiries
to be made here regarding the alleged intention of the Turkish Government to create
a petroleum regie in this country. Up to the present, I have been able to obtain no
information in confirmation of the existence of any such intention on the part of the
Turkish Government, nor has Mr. Nichols, the agent of the D’Arcy group, been able
to hear anything of such a scheme at the Ministry of Mines. It appears to me
inconceivable that so important a matter should not have been talked about and become
known if the Government had serious intentions of creating a monopoly, and had gone
so far as to make certain proposals to Mr. Lane’s firm.
It is generally known that the Turkish Government hope to create certain
monopolies, i.e., on matches, petroleum, spirits, &c., but no steps have been taken up to
the present to bring about negotiations, and had the Government shown any disposition
to discuss these questions, they would most certainly by now have been overwhelmed
with proposals from the Standard Oil Company and from Russian as well as from
Roumanian companies.
Mr. Lane gives no particulars in the letter which forms the enclosure to your
despatch under reply, as to who is his agent here or as to whom he has been treating
with, and he does not appear to me to be very serious.
With regard to Mr. Lane’s references to the alleged intention of the Standard Oil
Company to acquire interests in the Turkish Empire, I have the honour to enclose
herewith a copy of a memorandum drawn up by Mr. Weakley, from which it may be
seen that the Standard Oil Company have apparently no intention to ask for the
monopoly of the sale of petroleum in the Empire, but are merely endeavouring to obtain
municipal authorisation in various cities in this country to introduce the sale of
petroleum in bulk.
I have, &c.
CHARLES M. MARLING.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Memorandum by Mr. Weakley respecting the Standard Oil Company s Operations
in Turkey.
A MR. CAMPBELL, travelling agent of the Standard Oil Company, came to
Constantinople nearly a year ago, and has since made frequent visits to Smyrna,
Salonica, and has also been to Beirout. It has been ascertained that the object of his
visit is connected with a scheme the Standard Oil Company have in view of developing
the sale of American oil in this country.
In order to reduce the cost of petroleum and give facilities to the public, it is
proposed to import oil in bulk, which will be stored in large tanks on the sea-shore.
The oil will then be distributed and sold to the public by means of small iron tank
carts, which are to circulate through the streets, and thus every householder will have
the facility of purchasing the quantity of oil necessary for daily requirements at a
moderate cost, instead of incurring the expense of buying the more costly petroleum,
which is put up in tins.
It is understood that the Standard Oil Company have no intention of asking for
the monopoly of sale of petroleum in the country, but are simply endeavouring to
obtain the necessary authorisation which lies within the powers of municipal authorities
to grant for introducing the sale of petroleum in bulk.
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