OIL ON TIMOR ISLAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3364, 4 September 1918, Page 45

OIL ON TIMOR ISLAND

RED-TAPE INTERVENES. (From Ovu Own Corbespondent.) SYDNEY, August 21. Sir Joseph _ Carruthfcrs, a well-known figure in - public and commercial life here, has made public some interesting information about the possibility of securing great supplies of oil from the island of Timor. Timor is the most southerly of the Dutch East Indies, and is only 300 miles from the West Australian .coast. The eastern half of tho island belongs to Portugal, and the concessions to_ mine for oil there are owned by Australians, amongst whom are some of tha wealthiest men in the commonwealth. It is stated positively that sufficient oil can be obtained from this island to supply the whole of Australia's needs. Preliminary operations had just commenced when war broke out. Amazing prospects were secured. One end of the island seems to be bathed in oil. It ie oozing through the coral in all directions. A great hole_ blown in the reef with dynamite was quickly filled with thick oil. A bore, down 320 ft, tapped a gusher, and a volume of pure oil suddenly spouted to the top of the derrick. It came at the rate of one ton a minute for 10 minutes, and then the bore became ohoked. The Federal authorities refused permission to utilise the £75,000 required to develop these oil discoveries. -The syndicate then tried to enlist the good offices of the Imperial authorities by offering the British Government one half-share in the concession, free of cost;_ but the thing finally drifted into the oblivion of pigeon-holes in some department. Then American capitalists were approached; but just when everything, was ready America entered tho war, and they were shut out. So here these oil concessions remain undeveloped. Labour is abundant (thero _ are 2,000,000 natives on Timor); sea carriage is available; the Australian market cries aloud for oil. It is rather a, pathetic instance of good red-tape regulations being stupidly and blindly administered.