AN OIL BELT

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1937, Page 3

AN OIL BELT

AN EXPERT’S .STATEMENT. 'Alier Press Association— Copyright). '-C ." AFOKLAND. September 20. The oil belt that runs through tne East, Indies, Sumatra, and Borneo has ft6\v been definitely' traced to New Giiiliea, 'and whether there is oil there ihi pftytible cominercial quantities there is certainly every prospect ot increasing numerous discoveries oi it. both in Papiia’ an<i the Mandated Territory New Guinea. Said 'Mr •!. Ward Williams, an Ameiican explorer and mining engineer, who was a through passenger by the Mariposa from Sydney. • ! TR " " ; ' * ATt^i 1 ; ’leading-fin expbditiqniint.o th° unexplored country between tbe fly and Sepik rivers, ho said the best possibilities seemed to him to he outside the present oil-boring operations on defined concession areas where exploratory work has been going on for some time. ;; Five -"companies were busily pushing ahead with preliminary work, he said, and although nothing definite had yet been obtained the geographical and geophysical work had almost been Completed; .and one company had started drilling. TTe thought they had excellent prospects, but tbe outlook was even better in those parts outside these, companies’ concessions. Mr Ward Williams led his expedition into thq interior mainly to find new gold deppsits, but although lie said there were''a number of smaller ones, ne thought the Bulolo field was the only t'eally valuable one in the country. His experience caused him to believe that there would not be another one. In oi), however, the future was much brighter, if it was established that oil. which ;was .undoubtedly there, existed in payable quantities.