OIL DEPOSITS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 30 May 1919, Page 5

OIL DEPOSITS.

EVIDENCE BEFORE INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE.

(BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) . WELLINGTON, May 29. . Before the Industries Committee, Mr A. J. Ruthermit! gave some opinions about oil deposits, a matter which he had discussed, he said, with the late Sir James Hector. It had been his opinion always that there would be no more big beds of oil struck near the coast of Taranaki owing to the violence of the volcanic disturbances, that had occurred there, but further inland, beneath the great envelop of papa, "there might be found oil in large quantities. This papa envelope had not been pierced, except on the Taranaki coast, where they were little pockets of oil. It was of great depth, because it was accepted that 'the islands of New Zealand were merely the high latitudes of a great continent. He would advise prospecting inland. It would be expensive, and the work ought to be done by the Government. He was strongly of opinion that in this way, if at all, oil would be found, and "it would be invaluable to the Dominion if oil shoud be found in quantity. At places where there were clear indications of faults in the strata there were also signs of oil. He would like to see the Government carry on its prospecting under the advice of the best experts procurable.