OIL IN PERSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 322, 13 January 1909, Page 4

OIL IN PERSIA.

In the course of «i letter in the Daily Telegraph ou South-West Persia ami the Persian (.iulf, Mr. J', bandon writes as follows of the oil-lields: "in .short, these, the most courtly ami htv»pitable of Asiatic mountaineers are being forced from their immemorial isolation ami reserve along paths of development at a pace which might well turn the heads of the moH sedate and settled of Western peoples. The explanation of the whole matter can be given in three letters —oil. .Headers oi bord l/urzon's standard work upon Persia may remember, hidden away in one id' these chapters to which he invites the attention of the more serious-mind-ed of his audience, a reference to the naptha-bearing strata of lvhuzistan. Humour had long pointed to the northwest south-east trend of the hills in the Karun district as the source of uaptha. In a few places naptlia actually oozed through the soil ami iu one now known as the Meid>n-i-Xallun the authorities of Shushter were in the habit of collecting ami reducing to bitumen the slow escape of naptha into a mountain stream. The reference that Lord Cury.on made has borne fruit. One or two Europeans passed through the district, ami one of them, the learned and übiquitous Frenchman. ;M. de -Morgan, reported the promise of the district, it is well-known that .Mr Darev, with the help of the Burma Oil t'ompa.ny, has prospected widely along the indicated stretch of territory, and that at last the cll'orts of the Concession .Syndicate ha.ve been crowned with a large and signilicant measure of success. ' The writer has had the good fortune to pnv a visit to the new oil-lield, but feels obliged to respect the wish of the syndicate that ni) detailed information should be made public until (inal assurances and arrangements have been completed. .Knough, however, is already within the knowledge of the public '•which is interested iu this important, and to the Krilisli Umpire this almost vital question, of the world's oil supply, to justify me in saying that the warmest congratulations are due to the Kuglishmeu who have secured the entire ; monopoly and are now working for the full development of this- invaluable discovery tunong the scorched and remote liills of the Bakhtiari country."