OIL INDUSTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16711, 29 January 1926, Page 6

OIL INDUSTRY.

BRITISH IMPERIAL COMPANY. THE PIONEERS OF BULK. It is not generally known that the British Imperial Oil Company, whose new installation at Miramar, Wellington, was opened by the Prime Minister,' Hon J. G. Coatcs, recently arc the pioneers of bulk distribution, nor is it generally known that 25 years have passed since the Shell Company inaugurated the bulk method of importation and distribution in Australia. Since 1901 the British Company's development and expansion has been rapid, and their latest enterprise doubtless! will be welcomed by all. as the bulk sohemc revolutionises the old transport facilities for petroleum spirits.

The opening ceremony signalled the completion of the first step of the Shell Company's comprehensive bulk scheme for New Zealand! The completion of the Miramar Works lays the foundation stone on which will be built up a comprehensive scheme for the. distribution in bulk from North Cape to the Bluff. The Miramar Works comprise a vast manufactory, developed on the most modern and efficient lines, and an inspection of the site, well-known in earlier years as Miramar's Wonderland, arouses every instinct of prido in New Zealand effort. A Visit to the Plant. On first entering the installation the main offices are met with. These are built in brick and are occupied by the superintendent engineer, his assistant and executive staff. A 40ft. roadway divides these offices from the tin factory building, an establishment which will be required for tinning and casing' supplies for those districts which cannot immediately be served by the bulk method. The factory building houses the tin factory, • tile workshop and engine-room, the tinplate store, the general store and the motor lorry repair shop. The tinplate store accommodates considerable stocks of tin-plate from which the tins are made. When withdrawn from stock 111 tin-plate is minutely' examined for rust or other defects before passing into the tin factory. The tin factory, which is capable of producing 12,000 tins per day, js a striking example of the modern and efficient lines upon which the whole organisation has been founded. In future, all the tins, both kerosene and motor spirit, sold by the Shell Com pany throughout the Dominion, will be made entirely by New Zealand labour in this factory. Crossing another street of this industrial centre, we come to the case factory, a huge building, commodious enough to store several months' supply of timber for cases. Inside this building is an area set aside to accommodate the case-making plant, which is capable of turning out cases at the rate of four per minute. In the filling sheds, twelve empty tins at a time pass on gravity conveyors to fillers, under which they come to a standstill. A; lever is then operated and a nozzle enters each tin and pours in exactly four gallons of automatically measured and checked contents. The operator then swings back the lever, the nozzles rise, and the twelve filled tins, which are automatically replaced by empty ones, pass along on the gravity conveyor to the capping shed. In the filling shed, every possible precaution is taken to avoid the risk of sparks, and operators and visitors are required to wear goloshes. In the next shed men are engaged soldering the caps on to the filled tins. The tins having been capped and sealed arc then packed in cases and arc passed into store. Wandering on through the installation we next reach the loading platform, where motor lorries receive their loads of cased goods witli great expedition. The kerosene filling shed and store are in the immediate vicinity of the loading platform, whilst 100 ft further on we come to the spirit area, which comprises substantially built concrete buildings completely compounded. It is to these buildings that the tins and cases are carried over belt conveyors (each measuring 500 ft long) for filling, capping and casing. The storage tanks compound represents a fortified appearance with its eight huge tanks surrounded by an earth embankment sft high. The capacity if the tanks is 26,560 tons, equal to 6,500,000 gallons. Inside the compound are three small but lofty tanks, into which the spirit is pumped by means of compressed air and then allowed to gravitate to other' tanks in the various filling departments.

What the Bulk System Means. The Shell Company,, who pioneered the bulk movement, have proved beyond doubt the economy which can be afforded consumers by importing ,and distributing motor spirit and kerosene in bulk, and the recent installation of this system into inland centres in the Commonwealth has achieved, in most instances, a considerable reduction in the cost of petrol. The Shell Company's operations in New Zealand will first be confined to the main seaport towns throughout the' Dominion and then, be extended as rapidly as possible into the interior. From Singapore to British North Borneo, vessels of the Shell oil fleet carry cargoes to all parts of the world, and "in the transportation, refining and marketing of these products, more British ships, more British capital, and more'British workmen are engaged than by any other oil company in the world. The whole of New Zealand's requirements of motor spirit and kerosene have hitherto been" imported in packages, but the opening of the new Shell works will enable these products lo be brought here in hulk. Where tins and cases are required these will, in future, of course, be manufactured in New Zealand. Other Links in the System.

Similar works to the Wellington installation are also being constructed in Auckland, and when completed they will comprise most modern facilities and equipment for the bulk handling of oil. The ships which will bring bulk cargoes from overseas to the main installation, will be the Shell Company’s own tankers. Coastal depots will be established at the chief seaports throughout the Dominion. These, In'addition to delivering in bulk in their own area, will also distribute in bulk to inland depots by means of rail tank cars and motor vehicles. It is anticipated that in Lliis way, bulk can eventually be supplied to every country town in New Zealand. Permanent .employment for many New Zealanders will be provided in the main works and at the coastal and inland depots, and the number of employees will increase considerably as soon as these depots reach their full working capacity and the system is further extended. In the construction of the installations and depots preference is given to the use of local material, while Empire products are used throughout in I lie manufacture of packages in the Dominion for all Shell goods. A large fleet of rail tank ears and motor delivery vehicles for bulk and cased goods will also he placed in commission, and, with the exception of the motor chassis, these rr.firdir-.cjd at loot oi next column.)

will be constructed in New Zealand workshops. The establishment of such extensive, facilities for the bulk handling of Shell products lias naturally involved an immense outlay of capital in the Dominion, but the British Imperial Oil Company apparently forsecs the wisdom of making available Hie most modern and efficient measures lo provide adequately for the ever-increas-ing growth of motoring in this coun--. Lrv.