QUEST FOR OIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23008, 8 April 1938, Page 12

QUEST FOR OIL

PROSPECTING LICENCES 78 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FIRST UNDER THE NEW ACT BORING IN GISBORNE DISTRICT [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT J WELLINGTON, Thursday Applications totalling "S, from six different groups, have been received by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. G. Webb, for petroleum prospecting licences, and four licences for the Gis■borne district are to be issued at an early date. Questioned about the others, the Minister said he was anxious to treat them all as urgent, but in view of the fact that there were numerous applications for similar areas it would take some time to consider each application. "Everyone is aivare that last session the Petroleum Act was passed to facilitate the search for oil," said Mr. Webb. "In the Act provision was made for the, notification and registration ot contracts • made before December •-< , 1936, between any person or company and land-owners entitling the former to prospect or bore for oil. Preferential Applications "Persons or companies establishing the existence of such contracts and notifying them before March 31, 1938, are entitled to make preferential ap-^ plications for prospecting or mining licences under the new Act over the lands concerned. The period for notification of existing contracts having now expired, I am in a position to consider all applications for rights under the new legislation. - "Many of the 78 applications received are over identical areas, continued the Minister, "and I will ex- { perience considerable difficulty in making a decision as to which applications will be granted. There is one district, however, in which the claims of one group are so clearly predominant that I have been able to make au immediate decision. I refer to the Gisborne district. In this locality a tremendous amount of preliminary work has been carried out over a number of years and the applicants have assured me that they are in a position to commence boring immediately. The necessary licences have been granted them. 8000 Square Miles "Four prospecting licences covering ten different areas, totalling approximately 800 square miles, will therefore be issued at an early date in the name of the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited. The interests behind this company are: —Taranaki (N.Z.) Oilfields, no liability, Gisborne (N.Z.) Oilfields, Limited. Waitaiigi (N.Z.) Oilfields. Limited, Waiapu (N.Z.) Oilfields, Limited, Moturoa Oilfields, Limited, Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Limited, and Oil Search, Limited.