ARRIVAL OF MR J. D. HENRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 221, 24 January 1911, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF MR J. D. HENRY

[ THE PETROLEUM EXPECT. [ .Mr. Henry, the famous petroleum ex- | pen, who has come to the Dominion to I report upon its oilfields, was a passenger by the Rarawa to Xew Plymouth from Auckland on Sunday night, and has for tliu present with Mrs. Henry taken up his quarters at the Criterion Hutel. The arrival of Mr. Henry, who is technical adviser and expert to a large number of petroleum companies and financiers, representing several millions sterling, has been eagerly looked forward to in these parts especially, as it is confidently hoped that his opinion of the fields will have an important etl'ect upon the industry, and therefore, upon the welfare of the people not only in our immediate neighborhood but also in the Dominion. Before referring to an interview which a News representative had with Mr. Henry yesterday morning, it would be well to refer to his status in the oil world and to his object in coming here. A MATTER OF HISTORY. Through the instrumentality of Messrs Walking and Fax, of New Plymouth, i Mr. Henry is in possession of all the geological reports and data, etc., available. The opinion he holds at present, therefore, is due to this information, and it is highly satisfactory to know that lie is much impressed with the prospects. Writing to .Messrs. Watkins and Fox in April last Mr. Henry said: ''The oil fields of the Dominion stand high in the estimation of those who have a practical knowledge of colonial oil field developments, and I have no hesitation in saying that it is only the long distance winch separates Xew Zealand from the Mother (.oniitry which is preventing it to-day from being a foremost, n not, the first, factor in the 'boom.' 1 feel most strongly that New Zealand will tome well to the front before the autumn. It is impossible not to attach real importance to the oil fields of New Zealand when one adds the geological reports of Dr. «). M. Dell, director of the geological survey of the colony, which have reached me by last mail, to the stock of useful information obtained from the Taranaki and Gisborne districts, i shall be surprised if this report ile. s not give an impetus to drilling operations in the neighborhood ot Jit. Egmont, where there are most convincing oil and natural gas indications. My reading of the geological data of these fields has led me to form the opinion that the oil indications are uncommonly good. There well-defined anticlinal*, numerous oil seepages and gas escapes, pitch and oil issues on the sea beach, and, better than all these, producing wells drilled without the assistance of outside capital. There is nothing which I have recently seen in the oil ■■ids of the West Indies and Newfoundlaud that cannot be duplicated by the oil-bearing territories ol New Zealand, where there are larger, if not more important, oil fields." It was suggested by Messrs. Watkins and Fox's London agents that the New Zealand Government should be approached authorising Mr. Henry to report upon the oil fields of the Dominion, but the reply was that no action would be taken in this direction—a decision that has been much regretted by those interested, as it was considered that the resources if the Dominion are not so well known as they should be, and that a full report by Mr. Henry in book form would be very valuable. SOME CREDENTIALS. Those qualified to judge speak in very high terms of Mr. Henry's qualifications, as will be seen from the following. Sir Boverton Redwood states: "To Mr. J. D. Henry credit is due for the persistent efforts which he has made in this direction"—the exploitation of petroleum ■fields in British possessions—"and I am glad to know that these efforts are meeting with success. . . . Mr. Henry has already made valuable contributions to the literature of the subject, and has demonstrated, as the late Mr. Charles Marvin did before him, that his special training is of great value in presenting a technical subject in an attractive form, which enables the non-technicai man to grasp and assimilate the essential features. There can be no doubt that the book of entrancing interest which the late Mr. Marvin published under the title of 'The Region of the Eternal Fire' did much to bring home to the world the vast importance of the Russian petroleum industry than all the text-books and technical articles ever written on the subject, and Mr. Henry is steadily pursuing, with equal success, the same course in regard to other sources of supply, and especially those in which this country, by virtue of possession, is in particular interested." •Here are some of the the favorable criticisms on his work, "Oil Fields of the Empire.'' The London Daily Mail says: "Mr. Henry not only produces a work of high commercial value, but has also performed eminent service to the Empire." I The Financial News states: "Mr. Henry has performed a signal service to the British oil public in the publication ol this work, and one that will no doubt I meet with its reward in the popularity of tiie book." The Anglo-Russian Gazette says: "If knowledge and enthusiasm combined can do anything in England, and we believe they can, Mr. Henry will, in the next few years, be ranked among the best servants and friends of the Empire. No one who wishes to be able 'to form an accurate idea of the possibilities of these coming oil fields should put oil' the purchase and attentive perusal of this invaluable book." As well as being an eminent authority on oil matters (especially oil fuel), he is a writer of note on the subject, as bis works, "Oil Transport," "Baku," ''Oil Fuel," etc., show. He is also editor and proprietor of the "Petroleum World." It will be seen from the foregoing that "Mr. Henry is eminently qualified "to report upon tl il industry in the Dominion, and it goes without saying that his opinion will be looked forward to with no little inleres'i, carrying, as it will, immense possibilities as to the progress or stagnation of the industry.

Mi. HEXItV IXTEUVIEWED. "Von make take it us an absolute fact," said Mr. Henry to a News reporter last evening, •'that the subject of New Zealand oil is now well to the front in London, and the chief investing- cities of the country. This is to some extent due to a liberal publicity of New Zealand oil news by English newspapers. For some three yars those interested in oil Held Ihiance have been expecting important discoveries in this part of I he Empire, and if the drilling operations of the near future result in the striking of oil in large quantities, even if the strike is limited to one good well, New Zealand will not fail to secure all the British financial assistance which the oil men of Xew Plymouth desire. The times demand that these fields shall be made to play a part in the great inter-Colonial oil movement which has for its object the development of oil fields in all parts of the Empire in order that the Admiralty may be guaranteed adequate supplies of liquid fuel and petroleum for the vessels of the Navy." "What is the present day position ot the liquid fuel business?" was a question which was answered as follows:

"The two greatest liners for which orders have been placed by the Ci'.naril Company will burn liquid fuel. All the newest battleships are equipped to burn it as {} supplementary fuel. Then again, engineers are expecting that oil engines of the internal combustion type will supersede the coal-lired boilers and marine engines used in the mercantile marine of the world to-day. The markets for liquid fuel and benzine are extending at a rapid rate, and for this and many other sound business reasons it is obviously a necessity of the times that the Empire's oil fields should be developed with the least possible delay."

Mr. Henry admits that there are powerful foreign trading influences in the oil world opposed to the opening up of new oil fields in the British Colonies, but these, he contends, need not receive serious consideration until the Empire's petroleum sources have actually started to yield at least a fair third of the world's production. "Although I can," continued Mr. Henry, "at the present time, only speak from the printed facts of the geological surveys of the Dominion, I should like to say that Dr. Bell, head of the Geological Department, and his staff have accomplished an immense amount of valuable field work, and as there is certain to be an early demand for the latest information concerning the prospective oil fields, I should suggest the expeditious publication of all reports made by members of the staff. They will be wanted this year."

Speaking of the possible life of the No. 2 well of the Taranaki Petroleum Co., which has -been flowing oil for twelve months, Mr. Henry said wells of much greater diameter in different foreign old-producing countries yield by natural flow for five and. six. years, ana by pumping, for twenty-five and thirty years. Hundreds of wells of that age exist in the oil fields of Canada andi Pennsylvania.

Mr. Henry hopes to have the pleasure of visiting the Taranaki Company's wells with Mr. L. Keith. Mr. Henry has the highest opinion of the school in which Mr. Keith lias been trained. "There is no finer engineering and drilling school in the world than the oil fields of Gallicia," said Mr. Henry, "where the Keiths, a well-known family of oil men, have been associated with Mr. W. 11. McGarvey, one of the most powerful and interesting personalities in the petroleum world, and the chief figure in the oil fields of Gallicia. The Keiths are well-known members of the Canadian and Gallician schools of deep-well toolmakers and oil field managers." Mr. Henry will start his investigations after the meetings of the Congress of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers, which will be held at Auckland and Waihi next week, and over which Dr. Bell will preside.