QUEST FOR OIL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 226, 16 October 1940, Page 3

QUEST FOR OIL

GERMANY'S NEW MOVE Germany has long cast covetous eyes at the rich Rumanian oilfields, and the news that German motorised units have established themselves in the fields will come as no great surprise, especially in view of Rumania's recent complete capitulation to Axis influence. Since her normal sources of supply were cut. off, Germany has been endeavouring to keep her army and air force moving mainly with syn* the-tic fued—it has been said that about 77 per cent of all her. requirements have been met in this way—but there are two obvious disadvantages and the vulnerability of j>lants to attack by the Royal Air Force. - Before the war Germany obtained nearly ~90 per cent of her imported oil from sources 4 now partly or completely cut off by the Allied contraband control —chiefly, Venezuela, the Dutch East Indies, and the United States of America. Rumania and Russia supplied a Little over 10, per'cent-of the German imports. The partition of Poland gave Ger many one of the Galician oilfields at Jaslo, but the richer oil districts of Drohobycz, Kolomea and Stanislov went to Russia, although later Germany was given access to *wells in Soviet-occupied Poland. Texas of Europe. Rumania has been described as the Texas of Europe. The most important oil wells are in the region north of Bucharest, at Ploesti, Bacau, and Zezeu. The normal export route is by pipe line to the Black Sea, and most of the oil sent to Germany in peacetime (a quarter oi the total export) was shipped from Constanza to North Sea ports. The Danbue provides an alternative route, but this is uncertain during the winter months.

Rumanian and American experts have expressed the view in recent years that the supplies of oil in Rumania are giving out, and there is some evidence to support this. For instance, the output in 1938 . wa9 6,600,000 tons, compared with the peak figure of 8,700,000 tons in 1936. The Germans, on the other hand, do not believe that the wells are drying up. They blame other than natural factors for the decline in output, and since the war began, they have shown a great anxiety to extract whatever oil they can from Rumania. In 1937 the ouptut was 7,150,000 tons, in 1938 G,600,000 tons, and ill 1939 6400,000 tons. It has been estimated that this year Rumania's total output will be lesss than 4,000,000 tons.