PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 181, 18 December 1912, Page 6

PETROLEUM.

TARAXAKI OILFIELDS COMPANY.

The rotary drilling plant will com[mence boring operations this afternoon. An enquiry was received by the local office of the Taranaki (New* Zealand) Oil Wells, Limited, yesterday, from a South African firm for samples and quotations for crude petroleum, delivered at Beira. The firm in question, who were prompted in their inquiries through having heard of the success with which the crude oil was being used by the Stratford Electrical Supply Company's Diesel engine, has a large connection among users of Diesel oil engines, and would be able to take about 3000 tons i per annum of crude oil. Seeing that in about 4 months the directors expect to have the refinery at work, and thiw handle the whole of the output of crude oil, it is not thought that they will feel disposed to treat wit'ii the South African firm.

Sir George Clifl'ord. chairman of the. New Zealand directorate of the company, will arrive in New Plymouth next Tuesday. No. 1 bore at Bell Block is now down 440 feet. From the amount of fossilised shells met with, the drill is evidently working in a former river or ocean bed. The. going is hard, but fair progress is being made. At No. 2 bore, Pell Block, the formation is totally different, the stratum being of papa,'like that at Moturoa. Consequently good progress is being made by the drillers.