Page:Mexico under Carranza.djvu/117

Rh country and used in founding any new business enterprise, which would be for the direct economic benefit of the nation, and all products of such business that should be shipped out. In this, of course, the nation did nothing further than to-day is being done by probably a hundred enterprising cities in our own country where manufacturing enterprises are attracted by the grant of immunity from local taxes for a certain number of years, or, where the law prohibits such favours being granted by municipal governments, by contributions to the cost of land for factories, and other advantages.

Messrs. Doheny and Canfield went to the government and calling attention to the fact that at that time Mexico had no oil wells and that fuel was one of the great economic needs of the country, announced that they proposed to invest a large sum in endeavouring to develop the petroleum deposits, and asked to be granted a concession which would enable them to conduct their business for a term of years free of national import and export duties. As the law providing for the granting of such a concession required that the enterprise should represent a new business of a character not developed, before they could secure the concession for which they asked they were compelled to obtain a certificate from the government of every state in the Mexican Union certifying that no oil development had been made in any such state,