And, as if that was not enough, America is planning to develop, by motor traction, the means of transport in Asia, the continent without railways. We may predict for this a consumption of 120 million tons in the near future. _The United States consume twice as much oil as the rest of the world, while their resources do not amount to more than one-seventh of those of the world._ Their consumption increased in 1920 by 25 per cent.; their production only by 11 per cent. And already fears are entertained that it may diminish. Two-thirds of the oil-fields of Oklahoma, which state alone produces nearly one-quarter of the total, have been developed; and the number of borings tends to diminish. If the increase in world-consumption of oil continues at the rate that it has done during the past few years, the oil reserves of the United States, calculated on the basis of 70 barrels to each inhabitant, without allowing for increase of population, would, according to the Smithsonian Institute, come to an end about the year 1927. These figures seem to me a little exaggerated, for the reserves contained in the soil of the United States cannot possibly be completely exploited in so short a time. But the figures published by the Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior shows that other countries consume half as much oil as the United States, while their soil contains seven times more. "These countries consume at the present time two million barrels a year; at this rate, they have reserves sufficient for 250 years. The United States consume 400 million barrels a year; they have only enough for 18 years.[8] "The total amount of oil which can still be extracted from the soil of the entire world has been computed at 60,000 million barrels--43,000 million have already been brought to the surface by successful borings. "Of the 60,000 million which remain to be extracted, 7,000 million are to be found in the United States and in Alaska; 53,000 million in the rest of the world." That is why the American Navy, having in view the treatment of bituminous shale by distillation, has reserved to itself the rights over immense deposits, chiefly in Colorado and Utah. If the United States do not succeed in acquiring new oil-fields in the rest of the world, the position will become so serious that they will only be able to avoid war at the price of economic vassalage. There is oil in all parts of the world, and yet dominion over oil is one of the most concentrated possible. From Alaska almost to Tierra del Fuego, every country in the New World possesses some. Alaska. Canada: its presence was discovered in 1789 by Sir Alexander Mackenzie. United States. Mexico. Central America. Venezuela. Trinidad, Guiana. Colombia. Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. Chili, the Argentine. Brazil and Uruguay: it is hoped that oil will be found shortly. [Illustration: Map of the Principal Oil-bearing Regions of the World.]