211 



DISCOVERY 



intiiinittenlly, wink- the other two fields at Waitangi 

 Hill and Kotuku arc at present insignificant, and some 

 doubt exists as to whether these localities will ever 

 yield a commercial supply. The oil shales of the 

 Orepuki region arc generally known, but attempts to 

 work them profitably have so far proved abortive. 

 Borings near Grej-mouth, on the west coast of South 

 Island, have met with little success, though the area 

 between this and Brunnei inland will probably pay 

 further prospecting. In Australia oil has been reported 

 from many places on many occasions, but so far no 

 results of commercial importance have been forth- 

 coming. Dr. Wade has investigated certain supposed 

 oil-bearing areas in South Australia, but concluded 

 that the prospects were not encouraging. West 

 Australia and Victoria have shown small oil seepages 

 in several parts, but nothing has been discovered which 

 would warrant extensive prospecting. In New South 

 Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania, there are oil-shale 

 deposits which have been worked on a large scale, and 

 it must be admitted that the petroleum prospects of 

 the continent, as a whole, seem to be largely centred 

 in these occurrences. 



This brings our brief survey of the British and 

 Colonial oil resources to a close. From the accom- 

 .panying map the distribution of the principal oilfields 

 of the world can be noted, of which the British resources 

 are shaded black. It is significant, at all events from 

 a geophysical point of view, that our most productive 

 fields (and, at the same time, those which ofifer the best 

 pKjssibilities of successful development in the future) 

 are confined to the zone between latitudes o° and 

 30° N. ; and from what has already been said, it 

 will be apparent that to the West Indies, India, and 

 possibly the East Indies, we have to look for future 

 resources. While we may not hope to discover fields 

 of anything like the magnitude of those of the United 

 States, there are at least equal chances that our own 

 fields, and others as yet unknown, will yield to the 

 prosf)ector supplies of oil which, together with that 

 obtainable from extraneous sources, would be sufficient 

 to carry us through for many a long year. We must 

 not forget that there are enormous possibilities of 

 development in other parts of the world — such as 

 Mexico, the Gulf States, South America (particularly 

 on the north coast), Russia, and possibly Japan. The 

 ultimate location of a productive field in any one of 

 these regions would be quite sufficient to postpone a 

 critical situation, if such were likely to arise. Each 

 new well drilled, each new area surveyed, providing 

 the essential principles of the science be kept in view- 

 throughout, brings the chance of further supply nearer. 

 And each addition to the world's market must tend to 

 alleviate any suggestion of famine that may be made. 



At present there is no oil famine, and in the writer's 

 opinion there is not likely to be one for several genera- 

 tions. Every day, almost, a new wonder Ls proclaimed 

 from the realms of experimental science, and synthetical 

 productions are ever taking the place of natural 

 resources. The question of substitutes for petroleum 

 as a fuel is engaging the attention of experts all the 

 world over, and if past success is any indication of the 

 future, we cannot justifiably regard the prospects of 

 their work other than with complete optimism. 

 Economy in use of existing supplies, careful prosjjecting 

 on scientific Unes, greater development of the world's 

 oil-shale deposits, and the use of substitutes for petro- 

 leum wherever possible, are arguments which collec- 

 tively must tell in the long-run. We have not yet 

 exhausted Nature's resources of coal, water, or oil ; 

 we may not see a generation's supply ahead, but that 

 does not prevent us from continuing the search. 



Books of the Month 



The following is our monthly selection of books 

 which we commend to the notice of our readers. 



The Rescue. By Joseph Conr.\d. (Dent, 9s.) 



The latest Conrad. It is a wonderful romance of the 

 South Seas. 



Esther Waters. By George Moore. (Heinemann, 

 7s. 6d.) 

 A reissue of a famous novel of the nineties. 



Frotn the Log of the Velsa. By Arnold Bennett. 

 (Chatto & Windus, i8s.) 

 An account of a holiday spent in a yacht along the 

 coasts of Holland and Scandinavia before the war. 



Follow the Little Pictures. By Al.\n Gr.mi.vm. (Black- 

 wood, 7s. 6d.) 

 A first-rate mystery story. 



Reputatiotis. By Douglas Goldring. (Chapman & 

 HaU, 7s. 6d.) 

 Essays criticising the work of well-known contemporary 

 novelists. Clever, independent, interesting, but rather 

 too destructive. 



My Life and Other Stories. By Anton Tchehov. 

 Translated by S. S. KoteUansky and Gilbert Cannan. 

 (Daniel, js.) 



The Men of the Nirteties. By Bern.vrd Mvddiman. 

 (Danielson, 6s.) 



