P.B. OIL SEARCH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20046, 19 September 1939, Page 4

P.B. OIL SEARCH

TRANSFER OF PLANT NEW SITE NEAR MORERE TOTANi.iI DISAPPOINTING EARLY CLOSURE LIKELY Unless decisive results are obtained at Totangi during the next month, there is every likelihood that die New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited, will close down its No. 1 well on that dome and transfer its drilling operations to a new site in the Morerc area, where the Taranaki i.N( w Zealand) Oil Fields Company endeavoured some years ago to locate oil. Recently it has become apparent that drilling difficulties at Totangi threaten to close the hole against the best efforts of an experienced drilling crew. The strata encountered has oeen almost unchanged for a depth of over 5000 ft., and caving at a substantial depth lias done much to discourage the high hopes with which the hole vas started 11 months ago.

Drilling at Totangi commenced on October 12, 1933, and at the latest report, issued last week, a depth of 5090 ft had been reached, the character of the formation, described early as a hard tuffaceous rock, having •shewn little or no change throughout the whole of the operations there.

Investigations By Geologist

Indications of the possibility of a change of site have not been wanting. Recently the company has had one ol' its senior field geologists, Mr. H. W. Thoms, working constantly in the Morere and Waikohu areas, and it is understood that the data he has gathered supports strongly the conclusions upon which the Taranaki Company based its earlier explorations in that district. The Taranaki Company drilled two holes, one at Morere and the second at Mangaone, and penetrated to over 3000 ft. before drilling difficulties forced a halt in the proceedings. It is believed that had the. earlier projects at Mbrere and Mangaone been opened up with rotary drilling tools, instead of the percussion rig which was used, much faster progress would have been made, and the difficulties arising from caving would have been minimised.

The experience at Totangi has not discouraged the belief on the part of New Zealand Petroleum, Limited, that the rotary rig now in use there will be effective elsewhere. The experience gained at Totangi will stand the company in good stead on its new location, if the transfer is made.

Native Owners Approached

Though no definite decision has been made to remove the rig from its present site, an approach has been made to native owners of land on which the Morere well will be situated, the object being to settle the basis of compensation prior to the commencement of operations .there. Alternative arrangements .for the accommodation of the 28 men forming the field drilling unit of the company have been considered, and it is possible that instead of erecting its own camp, as .at Ngatapa, the company will billet its crew at the Morere Hctel.

Officials of the company are noncommittal in their replies to inquiries regarding the plans for the early future, but an indication has been given that all arrangements for removal from Totangi are conditional upon the results of the next few weeks’ work there.