NO OIL SHORTAGE

Grey River Argus, 24 February 1942, Page 5

NO OIL SHORTAGE

In Germany MILLIONS OF TONS FROM COAL. [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON, February 22. Reports that Germany is short of oil are ridiculed by the British United Press correspondent on the German frontier. He says that Germany is building further svnthetic oil plants. The latest is situated in Upper Silesia, and is capable of producing 1,000,000 tons yearly. Since the outbreak of the Russian war, German synthetic oil production has increased by K lOO,OOO tons monthly. The synthetic plants are at present consuming one-third of Germany’s coal output. Huge oil dumps are being built in areas untouched by R.A.F. bombing. Germany at the outbreak of the war possessed 12,000,000 to 16,000,000 tons of oil, instead of 6,000,000 as previously estimated. The German stocks are never allowed to fall below one year’s peacetime requirements. Until recently, petrol for non-military consumption was astonishingly plentiful. . The only major difficulty seems to be regarding lubricating oil, but the position in this regard is hard to ascertain.

Malayan Bauxite 400,000 TONS YEARLY FOR ENEMY. (Rec. 9.50.) LONDON, Feb. 23. "The fall of Malaya gives Japan sufficient supplies of Bauxite to extend her present output,” says “The Times’s” financial correspondent. Japan is now likely to have control of four hundred thousand tons of bauxite yearly. An average of four tons of bauxite is needed to produce one ton of aluminium. Therefore Japan has gained one hundred thousand tons of aluminium. Japan will be able to produce only half of this amount unless she establishes new works. But its importance for [plane production should not Up underestimated.