OIL PROSPECTING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23057, 7 June 1938, Page 13

OIL PROSPECTING

WOKK ON WEST COAST SURVEY OF 8000 ACRES DEPOSITS PREVIOUSLY TAPPED [by telegraph—owx correspondent] GREYMOUTH, Monday Prospecting for oil with the aid of the latest scientific equipment will commence soon on the West Coast over an area of 8000 acres between Kamaka and Molloy's Lookout, one mile from Kotuku, and over the contiguous area of about 200 square miles. A statement to this effect was made in Greymouth to-day by Mr. C. N. Taylor, of Wellington, managing director of Moturoa Oilfields, Limited, and manager for New Zealand of Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil Fields. Referring to the announcement made by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, in Auckland last Saturday that prospecting rights for oil over three areas in the South Island had been granted to the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited, the Shell Oil Company, Limited, and a New Zealand company not named, Mr. Taylor said part of one of the areas mentioned by the Minister was identical with the block of 8000 acres over which he, in association with Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil Fields, and Oilsearch. Limited, of Papua, New Guinoa, had held for several years oil prospecting warrants. These warrants had recently been taken over by the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited, the capital of which was largely drawn from overseas. Difficulties of Drilling "I read with great interest recently the published account of the progress of oil prospecting at Kotuku," said Mr. Taylor, "for I know the area well, having worked in conjunction with my father, Mr. Joseph Taylor, a wellknown pioneer on the West Coast, in efforts about 30 years ago to find oil there in payable quantities. "We failed to find it, because at a shallow depth of about 800 ft. several bores encountered altered slate rocks, known as greywacke. The Southern Alps is composed of these rocks, and it is a well-established fact that they do not contain oil, so it was useless to drill deeper in that locality. In overlying sedimentary rocks, however, we did discover encouraging quantities of oil at Kotuku over a number of years. "From a number of shallow wells less than 500 ft. in depth, we obtained about 600 imperial gallons a month for several years," continued Mr. Taylor. "In fact, we secured enough to supply the auxiliary vessel Jane, which in those years traded out of Greymouth to Jackson's Bay, South Westland. The vessel ran for years on this oil, which gave very satisfactorj- results." Contribution by Science W hen one looked back to tbe early days of oil prospecting, said Mr. Taylor, when primitive machinery was used and there was but a limited understanding of the principles which governed the finding of oil, the great strides made since m geological and drilling technique could be appreciated. Instead of drilling being possible, as in those times only to a depth of a few thousand feet, to-day it was possible to drill to a depth of more than 15,000 ft., or nearly three miles. Also, the science of geology had been reinforced by that of geophysics. The latter science enabled the underground structural conditions to be interpreted, which otherwise would have been impossible. The large-scale prospecting operations in Poverty Bay and Taranaki, together with those which will soon be undertaken on the West Coast, with Kotuku as a focal point, were due entirely to the Petroleum Act this year, said Mr. Taylor, and great credit was due to the Minister of Mines and his officers for the legislation which had encouraged the largest companies in the world to begin prospecting in New Zealand.