OIL SUPPLIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23008, 8 April 1938, Page 11

OIL SUPPLIES

EXTRACTION FROM COAL BRITAIN'S VITAL INTEREST SERIOUS CONSIDERATION INCREASING OF STOCKS By Telugraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received April 7, 6.5 p.m.) British Wireless RUGBY, April 6 A brief debate took place in the Housei of Lords to-day on the recommendations of the Falmouth Commission which recently reported on various methods of extracting oil from coal.

Earl de la Warr, Lord Privy Seal, for the Government, agreed with other speakers regarding the vital interest of the question to the nation in a time of war and also in a time of peace. He could not say what steps the Government proposed to take regarding, the Commission's recommendations. He recalled that the committee did not refuse to consider any of the processes

of extracting oil from coal providing they had reached a stage from which it was possible to draw economic conclusions.

The Government had the whole question under serious consideration and was at present taking action and examining a number of methods, but Earl de la Warr said he could not go into details. Deferring to a suggestion that the country's oil supplies were no better than they were a few months ago, he assured the House that not only had service stocks gone up but the Government had been giving attention, in conjunction with the oil companies, to increasing the civil stocks. A great "deal of consideration also had been given to the rationing of oil in time of war,. Progress had been made o;a all these questions.