192 NOETLING: PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



roughly expressed in the following manner ; for every two abandoned 

 wells there were : — 



2 productive ones in 1888. 



3 » ,1 in 1891. 



4 „ „ in 1893. 



5 » » in 1895. 



More accurately expressed the figures stand as follows : — 



53: 47 in 1888. 

 61 : 39 in 1 891. 

 63 : 37 in 1893. 

 65 : 35 in 1895. 



It is therefore evident that the proportion is a fairly constant one 

 which has during the last years slightly changed in favour of the 

 productive wells. The proportion is of some importance, as it offers 

 means for estimating the number of wells during the former years and 

 thus checking the statements regarding the number of the wells in 

 the Yenangyoung oilfield made by former visitors (see above, 

 page 178). 



2. Wells under construction. —In former years when the demand 

 for petroleum was not so large, the number of wells under construc- 

 tion was apparently a small one, and probably new ones were only 

 constructed when the old ones had fallen in disuse. Unfortunately 

 the figures for 1891 and 1893 cann °t De considered as proof because, 

 as I have already pointed out, the construction of fresh wells was 

 stopped during those years, and only those which were already in 

 progress were permitted to go on. It is, however, reasonable to sup- 

 pose that it never attained anything like the number at the beginning 

 of 1895, viz., 151 ; if the progress had been going on at anything like 

 this rate during former years the abandoned wells ought to exist 

 in thousands instead of in hundreds. We may therefore safely sup- 

 pose that the present enormous number of wells under construction 

 is something unusual, and that the next years will see a decided 

 decrease. 



3. Well sites,— The existence of the well sites is solely due to the 

 recent settlement of the native reserves, which has made the well 



( 238 > 



