HISTORY IN PETROLEUM

Chronicle (Levin), 4 October 1946, Page 4

HISTORY IN PETROLEUM

vacuum company^s jtjbtlee The year l'9'l6 is a signifiean't period in the annals of the petroleum industry in New Zealand, for it mdrks the fiftieth anniversary of thb' existence of that in'dffstry ill this part of the world. in 1896 the yacuurn Oil Cpmpany, wliich was the' fi'rst in tlie field, bommenced operations in Wellington. The original staff numb'ered thfee. The office wasrin a buildihg in, Featherston Street, on the site ncfw occupied by„the General Post Office. No greater example of true "rbmance in , industry" , could . . be given than the rise and d'evel'opment of .this' organisation, wnich is to'day one of New Zealand's leading commercial institutions. In those early days tarere were no' m'otor-cars in New Zealand; elsewhere, they were still* in tneir eajrly experimental .stage. Secpndary industries generally; judged by ;tcrday's standards ,.were in their intancy. Pefrol or benzine, , ,as a Ipfoducer of.power was unheaxd of. The lubricatihg- oil's in al'most uni'versal use on railways ahd manuTactuTing plants were castor oil :for m'achine bearings and tallow (iii a .melted state) for steam 'cylin'ders. Prior to 1896, there was no oil eompany ih New Zealand and oh se'tting up business, the Vacuum Oii Company had a new doctrine to 'spread. . It 5„proposed to market mineral— that is .petroleum— lubricdnts. The number of products it had for sale was' few— abiput a dozen grades of oil — and its difficulties were many. It had tp pi'oneei ehtirely new ground. Its chief competitPrs were conservishi and prejudice. Plant engineers in thpse days thought that tallow and castor oil were quite satisfactory, because they knew of no other lubricants. The fame of the nev?, , lubricants, however, soon spread for they gave service far in adVance of the nonmineral "oils." The mining industry forrhed a large section of the customers of the new company. Coastal- shipping, too, commenced using Vacuum oils, and found they gave improved performance in marine engines. - - With the turn of the century the cbmpany had established branches and agents in many parts of the DomiHiPn. When the organisation became a proprietary limited company in April, 1904, the industrial biiyers of lubricating oils .still represented the bulk of its trade. The motor-car was as yet little known in this country, although the first motor vehicles to . be imported into New Zealand arrived in 1898. It was necessary for the users of early motor vehicles to import their own fuel, as no "petrol" importing company was' established until 1901'. In that year, the C.olonial . Oil Company was formed. However, the first. aetivitires of that company were confined to kerosene, and not for some time did it import any motor fuel; It di'd not handle lubricants. In 1906 the Vacuum Oil .Company foresaw the very great need for the correct lpbrication of the new machine that was destined to take possession of the roads and the first "Chart of Recommendations" was produced. Prior to this the motorist simply asked for "motor oil" and trusted , to luck. . The Vacuum Oil Compahy, however, by now had develbpbd a range of motor oils, each with different characteristies to suit the varying types of engines or service. This meartt far better mechanical performance. It is interesting to note that in 1906 when the company brought out its first "Chart of Recommendations" as a guide to correct lubrication, over 200 makes of cars were lis'ted. Probably, many of these makes never reached New Zealand, but Were placed in the chart "just in case." The year 1908 witnessed. . an important event in the history of the company, namely, its arnalgamation with the Colonial Oil Company, which as mentioned earlier had been formed in 1901 for the marketing of kerosene, benzine and the like. From then on Vacuum Oil Company marketed not only lubricating oils for industrial and automotive use, but also "refined oils," including motor spirits, kerosenes, distillates, solvents, etc., until today the variety has grown to more than 300. A far-reaching ahd most important innovation so far as the motorihg world was concerned was the ihtroduction in the early twenties, 6f the bulk distribution scheme, ihvolving the building of bulk ^torage depots throughout the Dominion, installation 4 of p.etrpl pumps, and the operation of fleets pf road tank waggons and rail tank b'ars. In 1930 bulk distribution of power kerosene was introduced to the Dominion, thereby prPvi'ding a Valuable economic service to the farming community which by this time had become highly mechanised. From the earliest days of aviation in New Zealand, the Vacuum Oil Company clicf everything it .bould to assist the development of' the new form of transport. Whete necessary, special fuels and lubricants were made available and servicing facilities provided. Many great names are associat.e.cl with these activities. In 1928 the Trans-Tasman air route was pioneered by the late SiT Charlqs Hihgsford-Smith— undoubtedly . the world's most outstanding pe'acetime. . aviator. In all his famous fiights but one Sir Charles used Vacuum products and a'vailed himself of Vaciium service, of which he had the highest opinion. For nio're than 25 years the company has. been actively interested in the search for oil in Australfa and Nc^/ Zealand, and ih* later years has extended its research ^ork to Papua and New Guinea. This self-imposed task has entail-

ed the engagement of many noted scientists and the expenditure of £1,250,000 ( sterling. Before the operations were suspended in .the islands owing to the Japanese entry in the waT, the Vacuum Oil Company and other companies associated with it in Papua and New Guinea had a total staff of 15$3 employees, of whom 1411 were natives. The whrte employePs included highly qualified scientists, geologists, .geophyslcists, surveyofs, field engineers, wireless operators, etc.. ^ Fifty years of continuous trading is a worthy record in a young country like New Zealand. and the Vacuum Oil Company has every reason to be proud of its achieVpments and of the outstanding contribution it has made .to the industrial and commercial activities pf the Dominion. Fifty years ago the company was little more than a selling agency with finsignificant resources. Its original staff numbered three; today there are over 500 employees and branch offiees in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In addition the company operates seven main bulk (seaboa'rd) installations, four maln warehouses, including a large manufacturihg plant at Wellington, and approximately thirty lesser depots established at vaTious points through the DPminion. In peace and war the Vacuum Oil Company has contributed in no small measure to the welfare ahd ,• \ progress of the country in which' it \ •* ' nnds its being. In the years to fbl- ' low it will render even better service.