SEARCH FOR OIL

Chronicle (Levin), 28 December 1946, Page 3

SEARCH FOR OIL

An account of the seartli by tlie coni; pauv and it's subsidiai'ies- for oil in Auntralia, New Zealand aii'1. Pacilie lslauds, is contained in an article on oil recentlv publislied by the N'acuum Oil Coinlianv, Proprietary, Ltd. During tlie past 25 years an . area nearly 4UU0 luiles long and 3000 niiles wide, from Western Australia to. Gisborne and from the Sepik Kiver, New Guiiiea, to fSouth Oape, Tasmania, has been scarclied and approximately £1,250,000 spent. The lirst step was taken in 1017 when certain areas in Australia were e.xamined and in 1024 New Zealand was also subject to examination. The New Zea- ' land Petroleum Conipany, Ltd., was ineorporated in 103S and commenced drilling at the Totangi Dome, about 20 miles iuland from Gisborne. The well was drilled to 5700 feet without striking oil, and subsequently seven other wells were put down ranging in depth from 1173 feet to 10,025 feet. 1 n 1030 a survey was made of about 20,000 square miles in Papua and about 20,000 sipiare miles in New Guinea. To carry out this work facilities were set up by the conipany and a tleet of sliips «as built. JUacliinery wlijch was erected at Kariva, Papua, in 1041, was said to be the most up-to-date in the Southeru Ilemisphere and included drilling niachi'nery capable of reacliing depths of 10,000 feet. Work was suspended there when Japan entcred the war.