PAPUAN OIL FIELDS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3114, 19 June 1917, Page 8

PAPUAN OIL FIELDS

r.AVOURABLE PROSPECT'S. 'Melbourne, May 26. Tho .Minister of Home and Territories, Mr. Glynn, lias had several conferences with Dr. Wade, Coinrnonwealth oil expert, relating to the experiments which are being conducted, on the Vailala oil fields. Pupna. Tho prospects of Biiccesst'nl development are encouraging, and when more up-to-date boriug plant is brought into operation it is believed payable oil deposits will bo discovered. Portion'of the new borin? equipment Is In Sydney awaiting shipment to Papua. Mr. Glynn stated yesterday that seven boros had been put down, and one of them was down nearly 1700 feet. This bore was commenced in October. 1913, and was sim]c at the rate of 300 feet a month, the cost working-out at under £2 a foot. Oil was struck in most of the other beres, but they became blocked with mud, which resulted in some of them beinsr closed down. The machinery originally supplied for developmental "work was limited in the depth to which it would so, but larger machinery, capable of boring- to a depth of 4000 feet, was now on order, and it was hoped that it would soon be set up. Oil had been struck in the. No.' 7 bore, which was the deepest at various depths, but it had been closed off by the casing, tho intention beinsr to reach tho dentil where the larger deposit was believed to exist. If successful these fields would be a great asset to the Empire. Present indications were that they • would ho successful. Some time asro the British Government paid .£2.000,000 for an interest in' tho Persinn oil fields. That was an indication of the importance of an oil field to the Empire. About 2000 gallons of refined oil has already been drawn from the bores in Papua. Mr. Glynn proposes to give this oil trial in a departmental motor-car »t an early date