TARANAKI OIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 3

TARANAKI OIL.

REFINERY EXPERT ARRIVES. HIS VIEW OF THINGS. The practical development of tho Taranaki oilfields will he commenced probably within a year. Tho refinery export, Mr. Or. S. Millar, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday, and has gone on to New Plymouth. , ■ Mr. Millar has been engaged for threo years by the company to supervise the orection of the refinery, and to manage the company's business. Ho has had a wide theoretical and practical experience extending over, twelve, years with oil engineering firms in Great Britain, and in the oil industry in Burma and Mexico.

Interviewed on Wednesday morning, Mr. Millar spoke confidently of the prospects of developing .the. industry in New Zealand. "During the past two years," he mid, "the British'public has become keenly interested in oil, and is now convinced that there is hot tho slightest doubt that oil fuel has como to stay." In Mr. Millar's opinion, it is only a matter of time until all the railways of tho world for which supplies aro available will uso oil fuel. That will be tho casp oven in England, where- prices have previously been considered prohibitive. Already one of the companies in the South of England has experimented with oil fuel.

Speaking of the work ho has before him, Mr. Millar said that tho refinery plant was to have been, shipped on July 14. Tho plans havo been made'by Mcssr\s. A. F. Craig and Company, of Scotland, in his opinion tho first among oil-engin-eering firms. The plant will cover four acres of land, and will have a capacity of 10,000 gallons.a day. Tho foundations will bo commenced as soon as the sito for the buildings has been selected, and a large amount of labour will bo employed for several mouths. The buildings will be erected in concrete, and the brickwork will alone employ bricklayers for six months. - Fifty iron, tanks, ranging from 50,000 gallons downwards, _will have to bo riveted. Provided sufficient labour is available, tho construction work will bo finished probably in a year. Tho output from the property is at present over 1600 gallons a day. According to the analysis, tho products from the code oil will be motor spirit, kerosene fuel oil, lubricating oils, and wax, all valuable commercial commodities for which there will be ready markets. Mr. Millar said that tho analysis showed tho oil to bo one of the finest in the world. It is especially rich in wax, -which will bo sold for manufacture into candles and wax matches. There aro now in storo 100,000 gallons of crude oil.