PAPUA'S HIDDEN WEALTH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11806, 16 December 1912, Page 1

PAPUA'S HIDDEN WEALTH.

'sessei , 'tter£itVri-:'pfJrunlsiifls»-.n iweaftli. ' Gold -•is" •:there/ but■ spld. >s '■n'nd" ;cdcoaiiutsVand k Jiundred ..valuable t products : tif"lt)ie-'nl'li■ • : s#rf&'p.eX soil .are • theiier'TJutbeneafh' thoju.rface'is. petrode'velQpme'htal p-ossitoilities. ot 'CttroinohTrteplth -G'oveiJimen'f is tryinp; to 'discorar'Avhat 'in on iV arid "if'it doe's! iiot. :pfl.rb :with .what .1 has already acquireS" to" commercial organisation, the coffers. may be" filled means. ,ot i|a-puan-coat anii'oil.- One; may;read tweeri tlie lilies of the fo-llowmg intevview- with Mr J. G. Carne ?■<*■?■ (Assistant? .Gpvei-nmeiit Geologist; ot : New Soutk Wales)., : • .: "■•>-':;.;■■., ; ,;. • Mr Carrie^whoj has,receimy-returned'•.- . from an inspection 'ot- the Papuan otheK coal and: oil-fields^-told, "of 'his "observations^to;-the/---JSaturalisfe . Clubt".•'•-- ■■".. '-.•' -.'y.-'-l". '•!}.•. -T,^"'•'■'"•iit' t, ;: ' 'Bo'cse .coal was 'found - along the i'u- - rari River by Sir William Macgregor,m 1894J' .said; Mr Game: • "That, was iH the.-Gulf-/cou,n'tEy>,;and jt was considered;■ by ; at AVallendbeeil, Of : sufficient importance to warrant-luni and''financing , :a ; ii e'xpeditipii .in; i 1908 -to ascend the Piirari, -and; llead 'waters jto strike ; wes't- to " thei W;, River.; The' object; 'was*'to dpcat.e• the; ; seams -.from" whichthe "coalcame.; -.'Asscr-; j cihted: with' liini- :was Mr- W. J'.. littlev an- expert bushmah, who knows'-a great deal of the "country. The expedition , went beyond "Sir. William Macgregor-.5;. farthest, and .then struck oft aloriK-va' , western branch, r aoid.■JEp.iyjd ..the.' coal; seams'- about .lup.l'jfiiiles from the' coa3t v high ui>j in ; <ilriißsf inaccessible counti'y: • "A'ftei-fi is "return ffie7Federal m'ehtV^tt : Sep.teJnßfeiS v l'9.lorask€d,fpri:thte:Wales geolo* "fiiSt• to"; >l' tivfrs'-Efelectedi-fbr .thS'-duty/rbu^sliort^; •:artierWiU-dSi?Mi':'StanifDrth SniitUiswent ■;■ ■■nipVto' M. mhi Shei:"e--is-:aio''iieed:t'a dwell x up6n.. d igastersr. which; overtook *that; ex« "rainaed-' arsyiidieate,";' andr-he rand ; two, 'othcr^wlrite 'merrjwerit -up anil..brought twent up on -December ' feven.-native police/ and i3s'.carriers.'-- Mr: Little was the .leader, :aiYdi;Massio" Baker'had" charge; of the : men.'" ■•'<••-Delitj's through•■dyiieiitcry_ oc-; icurred;!liut^.w'(rsotnnp l the : Vaiui]a lliver, : ; 1 'inrestigiitcd the oil • indica-'-tions."'-' -.••iri."' :■■ r '. .'^'l'found-oil;in .two places there. It ; wsis crude oil, nut I c-ciuld give biit brief attention to' it then. Afterwards we •took-whale-boats to the junction- of the iOarneck and' Seriha Rivers, whence we strhek-on to a .h'v&h tableland', .and' evrt a track through the "jungle at. the rate of four or five miles ;i day. We cached stores for our return in a cairn. We reached a height of SoJOft. Thenoe we made our way to the Purnri Valley, lvherc we took rich samples of coal.. Some' of us went 33 miles down the rivei'on ;i log raft, amongst the crocodiles, and ultimately 1 reached the oil field again. By-seeping I secured fine samples'of oil fiom the stone which was broken in water, and the oil skimmed off the top n.s it rose. Oil was found <'n three places, and we foiind gas judications over an area of 20 to 30 sqiiaTe miles. My report of the 42 days' tramp in Papua has I-ven .inade to the Cofnmonw'ealth Government.'. .

"Afterwards J examined the'- coppe." and'oil fields'of Borneo, .Java, and Sumatra.', in order to compare-them with thes.r of Papua. •Apparently the small 'beKinniujrs made- in.those r isl;mds are identical with those of Fapua. As, to .the possibilities.-boring alone will tell. A boring plant is jioinp; up, and the Federal Government "has reserved the land for immediate- development; but 1 believe the prospects to be encouraging." "'".•'.'