Hill. — Oil-ivells and Oil-yroapects, East Coast. 517 



but geology necessitates careful inspection, and inspection means 

 expense. Unless, therefore, we can cafiord to spend generously 

 both time and money, geological detail work cannot be carried 

 out over any extensive area of country. We hear now and 

 again a good deal about technical education, but one has yet 

 to learn what has been and is being done to further scientific 

 investigation by research methods. The country might easily 

 benefit a thousandfold by the mere establishment of funds for 

 the purpose of helping those capable of carrying out research 

 work. The collecting of facts all bearing upon the question of 

 petroleum need not be either a costly or a difficult undertaking 

 were proper means taken, and there can be no doubt whatever 

 as to the likely benefits that would accrue to the country. But, 

 as in my own case, it is possible to traverse a whole district for 

 several hundred miles from north to south and for fifty miles 

 from east to west, and know all the characteristic rocks, but 

 field geology requires more than this, for it needs patient observa- 

 tion and the keeping of all records as to the character of the 

 rocks, the dip and strike of beds, the location of springs and 

 places of suggestive importance. 



These remarks are here made in the hope of directing atten- 

 tion to the duty of Parliament in relation to the practical appli- 

 cation of scientific information. There is no need to encourage 

 speculation for the discovery of a payable oil-field along the 

 east coast, but there is need for the State to supply to the people 

 that practical information, based upon inquiry and experiments, 

 that will determine the course to be taken in searching for oil. 

 And as showing the importance of the question, I venture to 

 indicate a line of country to the south of the Kidnappers, and to 

 the north of the Mahia Peninsula, that ought to be fully investi- 

 gated. These places are between Pourere and Herbertville on 

 the coast, and Waikopiro and Weber inland, in the south, and 

 between Te Mahia and Morere, and Pakarae and Whakarau on 

 the Motu Road, in the north. These districts contain all the 

 characteristics that are to be found in the important oil-bearing 

 districts in America, in Asia, and in Europe, but they require 

 investigating in detail and tests made with a view to the discovery 

 of^ payable petroleum. Having traversed the districts for more 

 than a quarter of a century, and being acquainted with the 

 general character and distribution of the oil-bearing rocks and 

 the location of wells — oil, gaseous, and mineral — I am convinced 

 that a proper geological survey would pay many times over for 

 the work that must be done, and would readily be done but for 

 the fact that a private and non-interested party cannot be 

 expected to carry out work that properly belongs to a Grovern- 

 ment undertaking. 



