Australia Builds An Oil Refinery

THE belief, confidently held throughout Australia, that oil will be found, sooner or later, in New Guinea, was stimulated in July by the announcement that the £1,000,000 oil refinery, built by the Vacuum Oil Company, at Altona, on the shores of Port Philip, between Mel bourne and Geelong had commenced

operations.

This is the first big oil refinery built in Australia. There is to be another in operation, before long, near Syd ney. The Altona in stallation can treat more than 15,000,000 gallons of crude oil every year.

Observers naturally say that it does not seem a sensible thing to build an oil refinery in Australia, and then carry the crude oil to it from distant places like the East Indies or the Persian Gulf. But there would be every justification for this huge expense if the crude oil had only to be brought from North Australia or Papua.

One deep bore in

Papua was abandoned several months ago; but three or four important bores are now going down elsewhere in Papua,

and the Australian stock markets periodically tremble to the whispered re port, “They’ve struck oil at last in New Guinea.” Actually, an oil-field has been found and is now being rapidly developed at the extreme western end of New Guinea; but that is deep in Dutch terri tory. All British countries—so painfully

poor in relation to oilfields—are watching the search in British New Guinea very eagerly.

The New Refinery at Altona.