THE PROVINCIAL PRODUCTIONS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143550, 15 July 1911, Page 4

THE PROVINCIAL PRODUCTIONS.

In the Punjab oil springs had been known for many years to exist in the Rawalpindi district, and further‘to the south-west, but the total output of the Punjab is very small. Statistics arr furnished of the output from the different fields for each year, but any idea of the relative importance of the deposits so far discovered and worked may be gathered from the following record 6f production for 1908; Burmah, 173,402,790 gallons; Assam, 3,243,110 gallons, and the Punjab 420 gallons; total 176,646,320 gallons. ■ Oil springs are known in various parts of Assam, the most prominent being those at the southern foot of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, and those appearing in the coal-hoaring zones in the northeast of Assam, especially in the Lalthinpur district. The only marketable oil comes from tho last-mentioned locality, where systematic drilling has been conducted during the past ten years. The best results have been obtained from depths of from 1400 to 1700 feet, but there have been unusual difficulties connected with the cost of labour and the unhealthy nature of the locality. On the other hand the Brahmaputra River affords a convenient means of transport, while a portion of .the products .is distributed by tho-As-sain-llcngal Railway. ASSAM. The first indications of petroleum in Assam were discovered as far back as, 1865, and an abundant' source of very’ good oil was found near Makonm in 1867. But no serious efforts in the exploitation of the district were made until 1899, when the work was taken up bv a company with a capital of over £303,000, and the result was quite successful. Tho output rose from 623,372 I gallons in 1809 to 1,756,759 in 1902, i 2,585,970 gallons in 1904, and 9,733,110 1 gallons in 1005. The petroliferous areas I arc situated at Tipam Hill, to the north | of Gitring, in the' country between | Gitring and - Dysang, and in Makonm, | between the rivers Dirak and Tirap. ; This last-mentioned district has all the ; probabilities of very profitable'and exj tensive development. It is remarked • concerning this region that the outcrops | of sandstone are often seen, in freshlyj made cuttings, to be clogged with brown | wax, and as tho crude oil obtained i in the deep wells is always highly charged with paraffin, it is- probable j that the oil, on approaching the cooler surface, where the lighter- hydro-carbons can escape, becomes solidified, thus preventing the free escape of further' material. The principal products of this field are petrol, jute-batching oil, lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and a comparatively low grade of kerosene suitable for bazaar consumption. , Tho paraffin wax, which is sold as such or in tho form of candles, is of excellent quality. During the 1 last’ five to six years there has been a market increase in the quantity of “batching oil manufactured, there being a grpw-, ing demand for this material in Eastern Bengal. About one quarter of the crude, oil is burnt in the works as fuel. BURMA!!. ■ The most productive of the Burmab oil fields are those on the eastern side of the Arakan Yome in the Irrawaddy I Valley, forming a belt stretching from the ilagwc district,’ in which the wellknown field Ycnangyaung occurs. The production of the Burmese Helds for the years 1904-S is exhibited in a table showing tho quantities from 'each district, and with tho following totals: 1904, 115,903,804; 1903, 173,402,790 gallons. Of the total li smmro miles of petroliferous territory, all that outside the two native reserves - of Iwingon and Berne is held under lease by the Burmah Oil Company, the pioneers of "this field. Among Other areas in the Irrawaddy basin offering inducement to operators, tho following , have been tested, . jpit so- far with disappionting results; 'Minbu, Padpkpim, _Bamhym, Promej Tetma, and Payagyig-Ngash-andanng, Sattein, Kyatti and Chindwin. Besides the Upper Burmah oil fields the islands off the Arakan coast, noted for their mud volcanoes, htlye been known for many years to contain’ oil deposits of uncertain value. Flooding and denudation in these regions have been too severe to warrant the expectation of oil in much, quantity, and of late years the output has ‘ exhibited a decline,. This province is developing at a great rate as a'petroleum producer. The incidence of oil in this region is interesting inasmuch as it is/ a demonstration of what modern science and skill can accomplish in an oil field which, judging by the centuries of production under old-world methods,, might be deemed exhausted. But so far from this being tho case, the work already done goes to show that the supplies of oil at depth are in their pristine abundance. The enormous aggregate of petroleum which has been extracted from these fields in past ages, appears to have been entirely obtained from shallow wells ami pits, without trenching upon tho vast deposits below. A great deal of information concerning Burmese petroleum has yet to be gained before oven the roughest idea can be arrived at concerning the extent of the depoaits. Mr. V. C. Scott-O'Connor, comptroller of Aroam, has written a very charming book caller “The Silken East,” in which he refers to the Burmese oil wells thus:—“The most prominent, feature in the "landscape, as I ’approached tho well, are the lofty, spider-like derricks which crown tho knolls and make strange patterns against the sky, as if they were skeletons of some extinct settlement. Under these, and scarcely visible above tho soil, are the primitive, works of tho Barmans. Each well is marked by a splash of dark stained earth made by the wastage and refuse of oil. These ami the patches of tho parfolo croton, give the hill slopes a singular blistered look, in harmony with their arid character. Red drums of oil, like gas tanks, clusters of thatched huts, in which the work people live, the wider roots of the European houses, the dark, tapering spires of h monastery, and the cupola of a white pagoda complete the picture,” As regards the Punjab, the districts in which petroleum has been found are Sliapour, Theluin, Baunon, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Hazara, and Koumaoum. The production is still very limited, tor the whole of these places, as the aggregate is something round about ‘2OOO gallons a year. In 1908 exploration in tho Mianwali district, near Jaba, was made by order of the Punjab Government, but without any encouraging results. In Behichistan explorations have proved an abundance of oil of very good quality near Kldnton and Moghal Rob, although until lately no substantial exploitation had been begun. Tho Government have been at great expense in testing deposits, and have employed eminent experts to thoroughly investigate what

appears to be the most likely localities, with the result that an elaborate report was made, which the peculiar mechanical difficulties which Had to he contended with in boring down to the oil through broken and fissured rock of a character which was .'xtremoly distraction to the boring equipment. Tho British Burmah Petroleum Co., with a capital of £2,500,000, has, a controlling interest in the Rangoon Oil Company Ltd. The last mentioned company each year produced from 24 wells 944,495 barrels of oil, one of the wells flowing 500 barrels per day. The oil from this well was, found at a depth of 2000 ft. The refinery of the Rangoon Coy., which is practically completed, will treat over 3000 barrels per day. Situated eleven miles from Rangoon, on the River Rangoon, the oil field of the company is on the, eastern banks of the mighty Irrawaddy, some. 300 miles from Rangoon. The ’port, at the river’s mouth is >abont three-parts of the way to Mandalay, the typical eastern city of Kipling. ' “The enormous profits of refining in Burmah, as illustrated by the profits of the Burmah Oil Coy., are attributable to several causes, amongst which may be included; —(1) The high value of the crude in lamp oils, paraffin wax and lubricants; (2) the cheap and abundant labour; (3) the immediate proximity’ of one of the greatest markets in the world; (4) the great distance of other producing oil fields; and (5) the protection afforded by an import duty of 14 annas (IJd) per gallon on Illuminating-oil.” The Rangoon company’s output of petroleum is approximately’ 100,000 linrrcls per month. The profits of this company for tho list 2J years were £111,848. The. Rangoon refinery’s property of '125 acres iuid a wharf accessible to. ocean going steamers at all tides, with ample storage capacity for refined and crude oil, costs £300,000. A tinning, factory capable of turning out 11,000 tins per day of 12 hours, has been erected, and there are also tin-filling machines included in the plant. The Government import duty’ of Ifa per gallon on illuminating oil and the cost of bringing oil from America or other oil fields to Burmah or India, constitutes a very important preference in the Indian and Burmese markets. The following is an estimate based on the refinery testing 3000 barrels per day only:—Profit of 8s barrel upon oil treated at refinery, based on 3000 barrels per day * (os 4d price of crude at refinery), and 350 days a year £430, 000. Shares of the British Burmah Oil Co. that were' issued at 20s were quoted on Change nt about £5: Fully £7,000,000 of British capital is invested in the oil fields of India. The analysis shows that the oil. is of exceptionally good quality, being as rich as 30 per cent, in petrol, and contaning the large percentage of 36 per cent, of high grade illumine ting oil, and 17 per cent, of spindle oil, with a residue .of extremely high-flush point oil, suitable for the manufacture of superior lubricants. .