THE OIL COUNTRY OF POVERTY BAY.

Patea Mail, 7 July 1882, Page 4

THE OIL COUNTRY OF POVERTY BAY.

In the course of a lengthy report on the oil springs of Poverty Bay the special correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says; —“ It may be interesting to our readers to learn that the activity in the direction of the discovery of a payable oil field has been a result of the Sydney Exhibion, at which some samples were exhibited in the New Zealand Court. Immediately after seeing these Mr Clarke, an old Australian colonist, who had just seen the Pennsylvanian and Canadian oil fields, and appreciated the enormous amount of wealth poured out by Nature in those countries, turned his attention to the subject, and has since then made it his sole occupation. He firststarted the South Pacific Petroleum Company in Sydney, which was supplemented by New Zealand capital, After this had commenced work, he formed the Southern Cross Company, which has the bulk of its shareholders in New Zealand. Mr Clarke is understood to be the largest shareholders in both companies, and is certainly deserving of the success that, to all appearances, is within reach in a reasonable time. The difficulties that have been met with are those which are inevitable in all new and unsettled countries. For instance, when iron rings for the shaft are required they have to be obtained from Auckland, from which port a steamer arrives weekly in Gisborne. They are then transhipped into the Rosina, which may make the trip in. a few hours to Awanui, the present landing place for goods for Port Potokautuku, but has several times taken ten days doing the distance owing to bad weather, so that sometimes a month or more may elapse before goods ordered from Auckland can be delivered. Other steamers are, however, to be placed on the Coast shortly, and this should prove the means of obviating the very vexatious delays in the means of transit that the Company has had to contend with lately. Some splendid winding gear has been obtained from Auckland for the works, and is by this time doubtless on the ground. A large gang of men were also engaged by the contractor to go up to the works by the first steamer, and the services of a thoroughly competent mining overseer have been obtained, so that no time should now be lost in completing the work of Sinking.the shaft to its proposed depth. It behoves the management of the Company to see that this work is prosecuted without any delay whatever, so that the work of boring may be recommenced. There is every appliance now on the ground for carrying out the work, so that no time need be lost by the contractor in finishing the work. The property, it will be seen, is a very valuable one, and when developed must prove of immense benefit not only to the district of Poverty Bay, but to the whole of the colony.