THE SEARCH FOR OIL

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1921, Page 2

THE SEARCH FOR OIL

! PAPUA OUTLOOK NOT SO 1 HOPEFUL. I SYDNEY, April 12. Although hundreds of thousands of 1 pounds have been spent by the Federal j Government and by private firms in seeking for oil in Australia, and in (he neighbouring territory of Papua, nothing worth while has been found -«nd now both Government and people are beginning to regard the search as hopeless. There is, apart from the vsilu° of oil, plenty of inducement to search. The' Commonwealth offers a reward cf £25,000 for oil in payable qua atoms Oil is such a tremendously important thing in this country of wide distances. The motor, in cars and aeroplanes ami road transport, promises to solve many j of Australia’s most acute problems of ' communication—if only a cheap fuel for the motor can be found. At present ’ Australia is in the grip of the overseas oil trusts. I The hopes of Australia are certainly ! centred on the Papuan oil set paces There are signs of oil all over western I Papua. In one or two places it is actually trickling from the earth at the rate of two or three gallons a week , in others, there is such a strong outflow of gas that it can be lit and will burn for hours. Government engineers and experts have been digging about in ibis wild and lovely country for years and experts have been digging about m this wild and lonely country for years and they have discovered nothing worth while. There is oil about, they say—but search and boro as they will,, they cannot find it in sufficient quantities to give it commercial value. A couple of years ago, a working alliance was made between the Commonwealth Government, and the Anglo-Per-sian Oil Company and a combined expedition was sent away into Western Papua. A report just received from the men in charge is of a gloomy and pessimistic character. His summary is couched in terms of geology, but if seems to indicate that the wide area already examined is very much disturbed by faults, and is not favourable to the accumulation of oil in commercial quantities; and there is no structure in (he area examined good enough to warrant further testing. " The report also emubasises the tremendous difficulty of getting supplies to the uncivilised eour.iry, and of maintaining communications. It is being pointed out that this is the kind of report that must be very welcome to the powerful and wealthy organisation like the Standard Oil Company.