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XXVIII

(d.) Licenses granted for one portion of the coast shall not be available to permit of whaling in any other portion in respect of which a license has been issued. (c.) That no unlicensed person shall be permitted to chase, kill, or attempt to kill a whale. (9.) That properly constructed and up-to-date railway-vans be attached to the trains carrying fish. Oil-production. Motor-spirits and mineral and other oils for the purposes of motive power are coming into almost general use in connection with our industries, over 16| million gallons, valued at £1,200,000, having been imported in 1918. The unsatisfactory position in regard to the whole question of oils is that the sources of supply are in far-distant countries, and the companies controlling the oil are in the position of unassailable dictators as to the price to be charged. Many countries similarly circumstanced to New Zealand are endeavouring to secure supplies from local sources, so as to render them independent in this respect; and to that end are thoroughly testing their mineral-oil possibilities, and various methods for the extraction of oil from what are at present waste products. New Zealand has several promising sources from which oil can be obtained, the principal ones being petroleum-wells, shale deposits, and kauri-swamp peat ; and very valuable evidence was tendered to your Committee on those subjects. Ifirst, in respect to — Mineral Oil. Boring has been going on for many years in several parts of the Dominion, with, up to the present, disappointing results ; yet the indications disclosed by the bores, and the actual oil secured--some millions of gallons —afford sufficient encouragement for further investigation of the fields. Private enterprise, which in the past has carried out this work, has just about reached the end of its resources ; and in the case of one company in Taranaki the Government is subsidizing it to the extent of paying the cost of wages, coal, &c, while it is engaged in putting down one of the deepest bores yet undertaken in the Dominion. The results from this bore are awaited with interest. Your Committee wishes to express its commendation of the Government's action in this matter, and would urge that encouragement by way of financial assistance be given for the thorough testing of the Dominion's oil possibilities. Offer of Anglo-Persian Oil Company. It was stated to your- Committee that the Anglo-Persian Oil Company had offered to form a syndicate, having a capital of, say, £.100,000 (the New Zealand Government to take one-half interest) if satisfactory arrangements could be made for controlling likely oilfields, to geologically examine and test these areas ; and if the test operations afforded satisfactory results the Anglo-Persian Oil Company would form another syndicate or company, having a capital of, say, £500,000 (the New Zealand Government to take one-half interest), to produce, refine, and market oil and oil-products on a large scale. This British company has its works in Persia, where it operates, in conjunction with the British Government, the oil-wells in that country. 'It was pointed out that the company has in its employ expert oil geologists, whose knowledge and experience would be available for testing the Dominion's oil prospects if this syndicate were formed. In view of this evidence your Committee would urge that the Government seriously consider entering into an arrangement with this company on the lines suggested. Shale-oil. The production of oil from the shale deposits in the Dominion has for several years been suspended, but with the increase in prices attention is being again