THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1911. PETROLEUM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10509, 22 December 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1911. PETROLEUM.

The petroleum industry in New Zealand' is -as> yet in- its infancy. The pbteaitiaKities of the oil-bearing areas—which, it may be stated, embrace a lange slioe of country to tie j east of Master ton—'ane tremendous, j The increase in the consumption of petroleum during the Hast lialf-cen-tury is one oi the romanice& of modera history. A writer in the "Argus" points out how many useful things besides kerosene are obtaihed from petroleum. The raw oil -is first heated to drive off the lightest vapouir», which are condensed, and the liquid is known as acrude naphtha. This substance is re-distilled into petrol, ■« gasolene, benzine, and other useful substanoes. The crude oil is then heated agiaitn, and crade iHlflmjiuitiug oil obtained, which is divided bv refining processes into various grades of kerosene. Tiw? tarry deposit remaining in- the stills after the disrtillaition of the crude naphtha and burning oil, is- condiucted to specihl steel stills, and is manufactured into various grades of lubricating oil. From the residue of mineral pitch is obtained p.uro carbon, fergely used in connection with electric lighting. Th-o wax obtained from the purafidaition of the rubricating oil is largely us*"-' itt< tUid manufacture of oamdler T'asßlin« i» another of til«. -»r* . ilhv"M-' : ~-A

by-porochiets of petrolfercm. Tfliejie is now soarccUy a pivuso of industrial life, sayis this writer, iaitfco which tire use or application' of petroleum derivatives does not crater, and a serious decline in supplies would we ato a crisis. The multiplication of macJiinerv has enormously increased the demand for lubricating oiis, and (firfcm petrolfeuin oils air© obtained srtiitat&e for lubricating any tiling from a watch to a liner's engines. Petrol, benzine and gasoleme were coaisidered of LittJe importamce before till© advent of the iiatennal combustion engine, but the motor-oar, the oil engine, and t-hfe flying machine have quite re-vtol'utionised this part of tihje industry. T!he .motorcar is entirely dependent upon petirolenm, for not chJy a/re petrol ajid benzine derived' from it, but only o7l» obtained from it aire suitable for 1 lubricating the cylinders. Bearing these things, and the enormous demand for kerosetne, m mind, it is not surprising that the production ctf oil in America has gone up from 2000 to 286,000,000 barrels' iiv fifty years.