SOUTHERN CROSS PETROLEUM COMPANY (LIMITED.)

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1066, 27 April 1882, Page 2

SOUTHERN CROSS PETROLEUM COMPANY (LIMITED.)

Subjoined we publish a report from the Southern Cross Petroleum Company, which seems to us, when combined with Major Ropata’s declaration, certified to by Mr. Carroll, to give the lie to the whole <>f the action and words of Sir Charles McMahon and Messrs. Jack and Benies. Space prevents our further commenting upon this matter, but shortly we propose to lay the matter at full length before our readers, and to challenge Sir Charles McMahon and his colleagues in unmistakeable terms to reply. The following Certificates and Testimonials have been received by me, and are printed for the information and satisfaction of the shareholders. Henry Haase, Manager. Rotokautuku, 31st March, 1882. I hereby certify that the six casks of paraffin butter, taken to Gisborne by the Rosina steamer, left here on the 7th November last, and that the mineral was obtained by me from a hole about 12 feet square, and I took about one foot deep up, leaving the same mineral beneath. (Signed) James Knox. Witness to the signature of James Knox: Georoe McAuley. Gisborne, 20th April, 1882. This is to certify that we received six casks of paraffin butter from Awanui, by the steamer Rosina, in November last, and five of the same were placed on board the Union s.s. Botomahana on the 16th November. 1881, and one onboard the s.s. Albion on 24th November, 1881, consigned to J. IL Stubbs, Melbourne, and that we

inspected the contents before shipment. (Signed) Kennedy & Bennett. I hereby certify that the samples of Oils and ParaiGn handed to you by me were obtained from the crude paraffin butter sent over to Melbourne consigned to me by your Company. The six casks were delivered by me to Mr Michel Benies, and his experimental trial was made upon the mineral contained in the said casks.

The extraction of the various products was made under Sir Charles McMahon’s and my own personal supervision. (Signed) J. H. Stubbs. Report of parcel of paraffin butter received from the Southern Cross Petroleum Company (Limited): —The net weight of paraffin butter experimented on was 9821b5. Products extracted from the crude material are as follows: Light Oils, viz.: — lbs. Petroleum, 2Ether, Gasoline, and Mineral Turpentine ... ... 54 Kerosene ... ... ... ... 132 Lubricating Oil ... ... ... 40 Paraffin ... ... ... ... 78 Making a total of ... ... 304 The yield, therefore, amounts to 31 per cent, of commercial products, having a value of £l5 Bs. per ton of raw’ material. The paraffin butter sent over for this experiment was of a very inferior quality, being the surface stuff, and containing a large per centage of roots, stones, loam, &c. On my prospecting visit I found the paraffin butter very much superior at a depth of four to five feet from the surface, and the above results must therefore be considered very satisfactory. In treating this paraffin butter the deeper layers will, 1 believe, yield 75 per cent, on the raw material, which would be equal to £37 ss. per ton commercially. (Signed) Michel Bentes. Having been requested by the Board of Directors of the Southern Cross Petroleum Company (Limited) to supervise the experiments conducted by Mr M. Benies, in distilling and refining the Paraffin mineral obtained from the Company’s ground, we now have the pleasure to state, from constant personal observation, that we are satisfied as to the value of the crude material, and results produced by Mr Benies’ mode of treatment. (Signed) C. MacMahon, J. H. Stubbs, AV. H. Fehon, AV. McLean. (From the District Survey Office, Gisborne) Tupaiioa Inland Road. The distance approximately in a straight line from commencing point on the Beach, at Tuparoa, to the terminal peg at the AVaiapu. River, is 359 chains, 50 links, or about 4| miles. By the line of road as surveyed, the distance will be possibly miles ; certainly not more. (Signed) James Orme Barnard, Ins. Surveyor. The terminal point on the AVaiapu River is opposite to the Rotokautuku Block, and about four chains distance. Henry Haase, Manager.