OIL FROM COAL.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20273, 6 April 1934, Page 7

OIL FROM COAL.

Need for Using Dominion’s Resources. MONEY GOING OVERSEAS. That New Zealand should not waste money on the importing of oils and benzole when the coal industry here could be developed so as to supply these vital commodities, was the contention of Mr R. Semple, M.P., when speaking at the Woolston Tanneries this morning. The Dominion spent annually something like £3,500,000 on the purchase of oils and benzole from foreign countries, he said. Of this total, £2,500.000 went to the producing countries, which bought nothing from the Dominion. “ Scientific processes have made it possible to extract these oils from coal, and it can be done in New Zealand," said Mr Semple. “ New Zealand coal is rich in oil. “ Other countries have developed their coal seams and exploited this wonderful commodity to its fullest value, while we spend £3,500,000 annually and let our coal miners starve. We will have to abandon this political suicide for the benefit of our country/’ Every country in the world to-day was faced with the problem of overproduction concurrent with a powerdriven age. continued Mr Semple. They had everything to sell and nowhere to sell it. *' That is the position in New Zealand, and I hops that before the end the year you will have a chance of expressing at the ballot-box your opinion of this suicidal Government policy. There will be something doing when we get in/'