IN QUEST OF OIL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 758, 3 September 1929, Page 11

IN QUEST OF OIL

DEVELOPMENTS AT NEW PLYMOUTH SCIENTIFIC SURVEY In quest of oil there arr.vcd in Auckland by the Ulimaroa this morning Mr. A. E. Thomas, manager of Coal-Oil (N.2.). Ltd., a concern which, according to Mr. Thomas, has designs on big oil supplies which his company is certain exist at Omata. near New Plymouth. According to Mr. Thomas the quest ; is ended and all that remains to be done is to tap the elusive treasure that, many oil men think, will one day put New Plymouth properly on the map. Mr. Thomas said that his company , had tackled the problem on different lines to formerly taken iu New [ Zealand. Instead of boring blindly on the | strength of geological surveys they had ■ made comprehensive scientific investii gations as carried out in America and other big oil-producing countries of I the world. First of all a noted geologist in the person of Dr. Leon Bossard had been sent out. After he had made extensive surveys for three years the service of experienced geophysicists had been obtained to follow up his report. This, said Mr. Thomas, was a modern process of surveying which could be likened to X-raying the earth. The geophysicists had not only located oil where the geological survey indicated where It would be. but indicated its exact locality. The report showed that there were oil accumulations in the extended area held by the company, and in commercial quantities. Mr. Thomas said that in reporting on the latest surveys Dr. Bossard had said that his geological surveys had been convincingly confirmed by the more modern and more exact method. As a result of these surveys Mr. Thomas considers that his company will be able to avoid the expense and delay of blind boring and will immediately be able to tap the supply at the required spot. AMERICAN EXPERT Mr. D. J. Ryan, an American expert, who recently tapped a big flow at Tampico in Mexico, will operate the drill under the supervision of Dr. Bossard. Other experts are being obtained from America, so that the drill can be worked with three shifts. The drill used, a Sullivan F.K. Diamond Drill,, will be the same type as used by Mr. Tynan in Mexico. At the outset of the project the eompauy only raised sufficient capital to carry out the surveys and now that these have been satisfactorily completed shares are to be issued in order to raise the necessary capital, not only to work the New Plymouth field, but also the company’s coal deposits at Westport. Boring will he commenced as soon as the necessary equipment arrives from America. The company also possesses a prospective field at Mount Arthur near Dannevirke and a geophysical survey will also be carried out there.