100:
172:, as its Managing Director, from late 1914. His cousin, David Fell, had been replaced as the receiver in May 1914. John Fell changed the design of the retorts and resumed production, at both Newnes and Torbane. During the First World War, the company received a production bonus from the government. Between March 1915 and October 1917, the Newnes plant produced 3,017,163 gallons of oil, also making, in commercial quantities, locally-refined petrol for motor cars, from around 1917.
51:
The company was registered in
December 1905. At that time, it issued £500,000 of preferred ordinary shares with another £225,000 of deferred shares. Another £150,000, in the form of 5½ per cent, debentures was raised, in January 1908, followed by another £265,540 of 6 per cent convertible debenture
175:
The company again raised £100,000 in the form of yet more debentures, in 1919. In the same restructuring of its capital, John Fell contributed working capital, received 1,000,000 preferred ordinary shares, and won an agreement for a half share of any profits for a ten year period to
October 1929.
155:
as receiver. From entering receivership to
September 1913, it had lost £24,000 from its Newnes operations alone, and the receiver believed it had been losing at a similar rate prior to entering receivership. The company's capital was reconstructed in April 1913, To avoid a forced sale of assets,
107:
Although the oil shale at Newnes had a very high oil content, its seam thickness and depth dictated that it was mined using relatively-costly, conventional, underground mining techniques. There was also a coal seam that could be mined to fuel the processing of shale and crude oil. The coal was of
143:
Once the retorts entered production, the company soon encountered technical difficulties with its process and, as well, was subject to numerous and protracted industrial disputes with its workforce, particularly its miners. Retort operation was partially suspended in
February 1912 and ceased
88:, a director and chairman of the company. A large amount of their English capital—over the lifetime of Newnes, around £1,250,000—was invested to create a vast industrial complex, in what previously had been a near wilderness. With great difficulty, they built a 32 mile (51 km) long
186:
Talk of reopening Newnes continued, throughout the 1930s, with some mining activity and oil production in 1931 and early 1932—by the government-backed Shale Oil
Development Committee— but, after that, shale oil production at Newnes never resumed.
127:
Construction of the Newnes plant had begun in 1906, but the retorts only began working in June 1911. In the intervening years, the company was able to sell readily its high-quality coke to other customers, notably the
Eskbank works, of
183:, were the causes of the final closure of the last operations at Newnes in 1923. The assets of the Commonwealth Oil Corporation were put up for sale in 1927, eventually being sold in 1930. It was deregistered as a company in May 1930.
190:
Some ruins of its once vast shale oil works still exist, at what is now the ghost town of Newnes, but are somewhat obscured by bushland regrowth. One of the two tunnels on the old mountain railway route is well-known, as the
71:
design, while continuing to operate the 40 existing retorts. The Harley Vale retorts closed, around August 1910, and were dismantled, while the refinery there was expanded in that same year.
1156:
293:
265:
99:
606:"LAW REPORT. EQUITY COURT. (Before Mr. Justice. Rich) APPOINTMENT OF RECEIVER AND MANAGER. Pearson v The Commonwealth Oil Corporation, Ltd., and others"
1161:
216:
303:
204:
60:
200:
159:
The mining and retorting operations at
Torbane closed around June 1913, and the refinery at Hartley Vale also closed, around August 1913.
1079:
269:
156:
another £350,000 would be needed, and second mortgage debenture holders and unsecured debtors had to accept a significant loss.
1055:
221:
28:
40:
19:
was a
British-owned Australian company associated with the production and refining of petroleum products derived from
169:
163:
452:
32:
152:
75:
24:
43:, which was a completely separate company, established in 1920, that refined imported crude oil from 1924.
93:
20:
137:
53:
80:
Commonwealth Oil
Corporation made a major investment in the production of shale oil at a site in the
67:
at
Torbane and Hartley Vale. In 1908, it erected 32 new vertical retorts at Torbane, to the Scottish
89:
68:
1127:
179:
Ultimately, the high cost of mining and the availability of cheap conventional crude oil, from
299:
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altogether in March 1913. The retorts had operated for less than two years.
64:
96:. A sizable mining village grew in the valley to house their workforce.
116:
was produced, as a byproduct by the shale retorts, and was treated with
113:
180:
23:, during the early years of the 20th century. It is associated with
92:—alone costing £150,000—under the supervision of their consultant,
266:"A History of Altona and Laverton: Industrial Development"
151:, in December 1912, with the debenture holders appointing
268:. Altona and Laverton Historical Society. Archived from
199:
that worked the railway is now used as a church bell at
52:
stock, in July 1909. The company's offices were at 350
147:Commonwealth Oil Corporation Ltd. was placed into
59:In April 1906, it acquired the existing assets of
8:
1157:Defunct oil and gas companies of Australia
217:List of shale oil operations in Australia
98:
232:
108:good quality and was also used to make
103:Newnes c.1937, after it finally closed.
61:New South Wales Shale & Oil Company
706:"ABOUT TWENTY MEN PAID OFF AT HARTLEY"
550:
548:
522:
520:
298:. Springer. 1990-03-01. p. 130.
7:
442:
440:
288:
286:
124:, which could sold as a fertiliser.
17:Commonwealth Oil Corporation Limited
349:Australian Town and Country Journal
84:that they named Newnes, after Sir
14:
168:The business was administered by
39:. It should not be confused with
1162:Shale oil companies of Australia
1080:"Glow Worm Tunnel walking track"
63:, a company that was producing
1056:"Newnes Industrial Ruins walk"
981:"PETROL FROM AUSTRALIAN SHALE"
956:"Newnes and the Rush for Work"
806:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
656:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
631:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
395:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
370:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
345:"Commonwealth Oil Corporation"
320:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
241:"COMMONWEALTH OIL CORPORATION"
222:British-Australian Oil Company
1:
295:Register of Defunct Companies
1128:"All Saints Anglican Church"
1031:"TRAGEDY OF SHALE INDUSTRY"
1006:"TRAGEDY OF SHALE INDUSTRY"
41:Commonwealth Oil Refineries
1178:
203:in the Canberra suburb of
201:All Saints Anglican Church
161:
73:
781:"AUSTRALIAN PETROL TRIED"
195:. The bell of one of the
164:John Fell (industrialist)
987:. 1932-07-09. p. 26
737:. 1914-12-16. p. 10
662:. 1913-04-11. p. 13
637:. 1913-09-18. p. 16
612:. 1912-12-25. p. 12
562:. 1914-12-16. p. 10
453:Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
448:"NEW RETORTS AT TORBANE"
351:. 1908-11-25. p. 34
326:. 1912-01-04. p. 12
247:. 1911-07-18. p. 11
1108:www.shaylocomotives.com
1037:. 1937-02-06. p. 4
1012:. 1937-02-06. p. 4
962:. 1931-02-16. p. 2
937:. 1930-07-21. p. 9
887:. 1925-03-09. p. 1
862:. 1926-08-06. p. 3
837:. 1919-08-22. p. 2
812:. 1919-11-04. p. 8
762:. 1915-03-20. p. 9
712:. 1913-08-20. p. 9
687:. 1913-06-20. p. 6
587:. 1908-06-25. p. 8
534:. 1909-01-15. p. 4
506:. 1910-03-19. p. 8
500:"HARTLEY VALE REFINERY"
481:. 1910-08-30. p. 9
456:. 1908-05-28. p. 4
426:. 1908-06-05. p. 3
401:. 1906-12-18. p. 9
376:. 1906-12-18. p. 9
90:railway into the valley
76:Newnes, New South Wales
856:"SHALE OIL EXTRACTION"
104:
935:Sydney Morning Herald
910:Sydney Morning Herald
835:Express and Telegraph
810:Sydney Morning Herald
760:Sydney Morning Herald
735:Sydney Morning Herald
610:Sydney Morning Herald
581:"MOUNTAIN INDUSTRIES"
560:Sydney Morning Herald
420:"THE TORBANE RETORTS"
399:Sydney Morning Herald
374:Sydney Morning Herald
245:Sydney Morning Herald
102:
54:George Street, Sydney
681:"TORBANE OIL WORKS"
1084:NSW National Parks
1060:NSW National Parks
906:"ANOTHER INDUSTRY"
528:"THE C.O.C. WORKS"
475:"THE OIL INDUSTRY"
105:
881:"OIL FROM BORNEO"
831:"OIL CORPORATION"
305:978-1-349-11271-5
136:, for use in its
122:ammonium sulphate
69:Pumpherson retort
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130:William Sandford
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731:"TO WORK AGAIN"
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272:on 9 April 2013
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193:Glowworm Tunnel
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134:Charles Hoskins
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37:New South Wales
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162:Main article:
118:sulphuric acid
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86:George Newnes
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82:Wolgan Valley
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1135:. Retrieved
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985:Weekly Times
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912:. 1927-08-02
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787:. 1917-10-08
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270:the original
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249:. Retrieved
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149:receivership
146:
142:
126:
106:
79:
58:
50:
29:Hartley Vale
16:
15:
1035:Labor Daily
1010:Labor Daily
931:"SHALE OIL"
756:"IN EQUITY"
120:to produce
94:Henry Deane
1151:Categories
1137:2022-08-12
1113:2022-08-12
1089:2022-06-28
1065:2022-06-28
1041:2022-04-26
1016:2022-08-09
991:2022-08-09
966:2022-06-01
941:2022-06-02
916:2022-04-18
891:2022-04-26
866:2022-04-18
841:2022-06-30
816:2022-06-30
791:2022-04-18
766:2022-06-30
741:2022-04-18
716:2022-05-21
691:2021-10-09
666:2022-06-30
641:2022-06-12
616:2022-05-03
591:2022-07-01
566:2022-04-18
538:2022-07-01
510:2022-05-21
485:2022-05-21
460:2022-11-06
430:2022-03-13
405:2022-04-26
380:2022-04-26
355:2022-05-21
330:2022-06-30
276:2013-06-13
251:2022-03-06
228:References
153:David Fell
132:and later
170:John Fell
65:shale oil
35:, all in
21:oil shale
211:See also
205:Ainslie
114:Ammonia
47:History
33:Torbane
785:Herald
302:
181:Borneo
31:, and
25:Newnes
504:Star
300:ISBN
110:coke
635:Age
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
