OIL: Mandatory Co-op

Soon after it was discovered, four years ago, Oklahoma's great West Edmond oilfield (TIME, Aug. 21, 1944) became the scene of a scramble. Many individual wildcatters and companies, using the greatest concentration of rotary drilling rigs in the world, began boring into its 30,000 acres in a furious race for oil. Last week West Edmond was the scene of an even more historic retreat. The companies who operate its 740 wells were getting ready to shut them down and pull out, with most of their equipment.

Exodus from Plenty. The exodus did not...

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