NEW OIL COMPANY UNABLE TO FIND SITE

Chronicle (Levin), 13 November 1946, Page 7

NEW OIL COMPANY UNABLE TO FIND SITE

-Press . Association

By Telegravh-

AUCKLAND, Nov. 12. Difhculty is being experienced by the Anglo-Iranian Oii Company, Ltd., in obtaining a suitable site on the Auckland waterfront for a bullt oil storage installation for its proposed New Zealand associate company in which the New Zealand Government will have a controlling interest. The Aucldand Harbour Board today received a letter from the Anglo-Iranian Co., Wellington, which indicated that no succefss had been found in any cxuarter in securing the needed land and. asked for assistance from the Board in obtaining property. The letter stated that the New Zealand comxiany associated with the Anglo-Iranian company, would shortly be formed to import and diStribute petroleum products. It was intended to construct bullc oil storage installations at all main x>orts, together with necessary inland storage and ' distributipg faeilities. The company needed a suitable site in Auckland of from 10 to 15 acres with road and rail access and with a deep water tanker diseharge berth"It is understood that Harbour Board land in the vicinity of the oil bertii allocat'ed to bulk qii storage, is fully taken up and that therc are no vacant sites uvailable for our purposes, " stated the letter. "It is also understood therc is little or no Harbour Board land immodiately uvailable for industrial devclopment and that areas in course of reclamation are already ear-marked. As the resuit of a survey by a company official it would ux>pear that there is no x^'ivatclv owned land suitable for our needs within a reasouable distauce of the harbour and this ojkuion is conlirmod by the Board 's 011gineer and eity authorities. it wili be ajipreeiated that the cstablishment of ocean oil storage lnstaliation at Auekland is essential to any iarge oil company operating in New Zealand 011 a comx>otitive commercial basis and that if our associate coujq>any is to enjoy storage and redistribution faeilities economically cquivalent lo those of the existing oil companics, sucli an instal lation must be in the near vicinity of a deex> water berthage and have road and rail access. In these eircumstanccs we sliall be grateful if the Board would give early consideration to our requirements and we trust it may lind it pos sible to reconsider the iutended allocation of sites now being reclaimcd or, alternatively, to put forward other proposals whereby faeilities can be afforded us." The letter was leferred lo Ihe board in committee and the superintendent and enginec'r, Mr. D. Ilolderness, was asked to report 011 the subject.