Lord Apsley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, who performed the opening ceremony, emphasized the importance of oil in regard to defence, There was reason he stated, to believe on scientific grounds that the presence of oil in England was a practical certainty. He expressed his pleasure that the company intended to do everything possible to preserve the natural beauty of the districts in which they were operating.
Driling has already reached a depth of nearly 200 feet, and analyses of the soil at different depths are being made by chemists and geologists in temporary laboratories on the site. It is expected that at least two months will elapse before the fate of the enterprise can be known.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.