OIL AND IRON.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1922, Page 6

OIL AND IRON.

RESOURCES OF TARANAKI. MORE PROSPECTING SUGGESTED. DEBATE IN THE HOUSE. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) “We are not at present advancing any money for the development of oil-fields,” said the Minister for Mines (Hon. G. J. Anderson) in the House of Representatives on Friday night. “We advanced a considerable amount of money for prospecting in Canterbury and we assisted in other places with the object of getting a productive oilfield in this country. • Our experience has been that oil can be obtained in Taranaki at a depth of from 2000 to 2500 feet. There is talk of a further oilfield somewhere in Nelson or Marlborough province, but we are not interested in that financially.” Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East) suggested that more might be done in the search for oil and ’other minerals. Itwould pay the Dominion to get the best expert advice obtainable. Taranaki had turned out over two million gallons of oil and there were other points where oil might be sought. He thought that New Zealand ought to undertake the systematic development of its mineral resources. Traces of minerals had been found from one end of the country to the other, but prospecting did not seem to have got below the surface and the product of the existing mines was dwindling instead of increasing. Other countries were, developing power by boring for super-heated steam in thermal regions. New Zealand did nothing of the sort. High-grade plumbago had been found in Taranaki, but never developed. Phosphate deposits existed in Canterbury, but the deposits were not being us’ed. He thought yrat the geological service required to be strengthened.

Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) predicted a great future for mining in Taranaki. He thanked the Minister for assistance that had been given recently to people who hoped still to demonstrate that oil could be won in Taranaki in payable quantities. The Minister had completed with a New Plymouth syndicate an agreement under which the syndicate was going to spend some money in oil development. It was a fact that every bore had found oil at a certain depth, bewteen 2000 and 2500 feet. One bore had gone down 56C0 feet, and was now going to be sealed at the depth at which oil had been found. Mr. Smith suggested that it would Jac a very good thing if the Government would negotiate again with the Anglo-Persian Company and get that great.organisation into the New Zealand oil fields. The company was a British concern, backed by the British Government, and it employed experts of the very i highest standing. Australia had derived great benefit from an agreement with this company. There was no doubt at all that oil could be obtained in Taranaki. It could be won in large quantities if the right method of development were employed. Turning to iron-sand. Mr. Smith said that an influential and wealthy British firm had made a proposition to the New Plymouth Borough Council. The firm was willing to establish a smelting plant at New Plymouth for the treatment of ironsand if the borough council would undertake to supply 3000 kilowatts for 24 hours a day from the hydro-electric installation that it had in hand. A representative of ■ the company was coming to New Zealand i and he believed that the arrangement ! would be made and that Taranaki ironsand ■ would be smelted successfully on a com- ‘ mercial basis. Mr. Smith added a sugges- | tion that there were great possibilities of ! mineral development in the Pouakai ranges ■ in Taranaki.