RUSSIAN OIL SUPPLIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1941, Page 9

RUSSIAN OIL SUPPLIES

SHORTAGE FEARED.

There are unmistakable signs of a igrowmg inadequacy in Russian oil supi r lCs ' Th ’ s n ™.v be difficult to believe. ; m view of the fact that Russia has vast I ml resources and is one of the world's MUt most jModuccrs. But the country's | ical needs exceed its production—and I the gap is steadily widening. Unless , the oil industry’s output is stepped up i very considerably the Soviet Union | will continue to suffer from a restrict- . cd consumption of liquid f uels j During the past five years or so the jfpowth of Russia's internal oil consumption has been more rapid than the expansion of her oil output. The in-, j cj ease in consumption during this! , period has. in fact, been roughly | ! double that in production. To avoid i ; serious difficulties to the country's eco-j homie life, exports (which in 1932 had] 1 reached a peak of over six million! (tons) had to be gradually reduced, un-j (til last year they were no more than } one-tenth of this figure, i

Current oil consumption is no crilerion of Russia's real needs. A true index of the shortcomings m the country s oil supplies is provided by a consideration of her potential requirements and these are enormous. During the current year, the third tn the plan period ending in 1942, elude oil producti.it in the USSR. W ;.s expected to reach 2f1.200.000 metric tons, increase of 3,40(),0(i0 tons over the planned figure for 1939. In addition. the equivalent of ii.IOO.O'M tons was to be produced in the I’MTi of luiiir'il nas. ilwyj inc i total output to 39.300.P00 tons. Avail-; übl «tun:il(,- suggest that the yield! will nut bo much higher than the total i of approximately 30,000.000 tons obtained last year: this w.il mean a deficit of over 0.000.000 tons of crude oil (■roper as compared with th.- programme. If tile planned output figure is taken j as ;; guide for judging the anticipated* volume . f requirement. -a .me idea u f übtamed of the extent to which sup-j (■!:<•■ short of expected dcrmmd , And the p---lij.,n threaten . t>< gr.>w! v.-or-- f.-r there m> prmpect of ;aij A.rly i.-mov.d ~f thara obstacles which, i evpb'ik.’o.n . f Up- w.imtry - ; ,ii j » ?UI CCS . I’ uppmvnt, !Yth.l-.ui:. *;<'■■■ Scrvk'v, that little will run j - Hat-'.- ex; -■■: • , Coars"., Ay-; : a , ibit qu;n;i;:ic» of the major pro- ! r '■ ■ ■ : be upplitd <H '■ '.ire soil military iw-edy Such a si-. ; out.. ■. ■ u» bin !-. .. • bill it !■ a- > . A tin.! th- 11. ~ ,h- m >,• impohed sso.'h .-.-rtam tpi.mlilwof *. small ir. votiiip.- o.- of tile itin ■ unp rt ■ •• -a - X. - • Ini’. :-■■■■! vet tun it may rerna ■■■ ' the modest dehvern ma Jr by < lu ■ ..i ’> Getm.'UA mcr the outbreak ■ f "Sf' t'* rt ’ ‘ t - ■ ’’.''-V f* i' ! ■!'''■ ' ‘ t l * ft ;I;■ 1* i.~ IY ' f hiimr:::-!--