OIL PROSPECTING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17607, 24 October 1931, Page 12

OIL PROSPECTING

| (To the Editor of the Herald), j Sir, —It is surprising that the letter appearing in your columns of the 20th inst. has’ not attracted more attention, when the importance to this district and to New Zealand of the subject ro ferred to by “Oil” is considered. The I report of the Department of Industries i and Commerce just presented to Par- ; '.Lament clearly shows what this couu- > try is suffering from the enormous expenditure involved by the importation' jof petrol and lubricating oils from i abroad. That'pct-rol fi.b.b. in America j only costs 2-Jd per gallon, while the : consumer here pays 2s (id should ltd Sufficient illustration to drive info the heads-of the public the necessity of giving more attention to the development and production of oil in this'Dominion. it is Only necessary to peruse the bulletins which have been issued from time to time by the Government Geological Department and the' pub- . lished statements of the/many cmipeut I geologists wild have visited New Zealand to be assured that in this district and in various other parts of the i country the conditions arc favorable for the accumulation of oil in quantity, and that it does exist. The outstanding fact is, that no bore or well has ever been put down to a sufficient depth in tliis district to find oil if it is there. Every operation where indica- ! tions have been most favorable has been attended by a repeated succession of mishaps, accidents and delays, endi ing in ultimate failure. Such a rei markable sequence of failure's in actual drilling is rare in any part of ‘the \vorld, for generally often where wells have been! sunk with oil t success, they have at least rbathed the depth dei sired to test the country. Is it not j time that the Government took a hand i and assisted the oil com|iaiucs by holding an inquiry and investigation ? As your correfipondent points out, in other parts of the world difficulties as' great i as our own are met with in drilling | and. arc overcome; they are, as great in Iraq and tlalicia, while the coiuli(tions in •Rumania, Baku and elsewhere 1 are very different from those which are ; found in California, from where we al- ; ways seem to take our example. There the drilling is mainly notoriously easy, and,it is therefore not-surprising that drillers from there when o'neo they meet unfamiliar conditions are i:i difficulties; -Every day this question becomes of movts importance to vis, and the amount of tribute we pay to America by buying its petrol increases, and the burden upon the finances' of this country and Australia! becomes and will becbmc heavier, ifriless we all interest ourselves and strain every effort to find oil for ourselves. This district abounds in indications and evidences of oil) it has tile largest oil seepages in the Southern Hcmisji'h'fere,' aiid yet no ttiie test has been made to ascertain its possibilities. Noi duly would the finding of oil add immeasurably to our wealth, but it would increase the population bevbnd ouv dreams and give work and employment to thousands, which is all within reach if sane, common sense stops are taken to ensure that the right methods arc employed to' undertake the task of searching.-—I am., -etc., PETROLEUM.