IRON & OUR ORES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1578, 23 October 1912, Page 6

IRON & OUR ORES.

STATE INQUIRY TO BE HELD,

A petition was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday by tho Hon. It. M'Kenzie, signed by. Frederick William Haybittla and five others, relating to tho iron industry. The prayer of the petition was that it was desirable in tho interests of the Do-' minion to encourage the production of iron and steel from New Zealand ore and iron sand, and that an Iron and Steel Industry Bill, as drafted and submitted to Cabinet, bo passed; or that tho Government bo authorised to enter into the necessary contracts with investors for the immediuto development of tho Enid industry.

When the petition was presented, the Prime Minister moved the appointment of a special committee to report upon it. Ho explained that tho Government lino no intention to introduce legislation deal- ■ ing with this matter during the present session. Tho gentlemen interested in the enterprise hod informed him that they had very important evidence to offer, and that if they wero given a committee the evidence could bo given on two mornings. Tho House agreed to the Prime Minister's proposal, the committco being constituted as follows:-The Prime Minister, Messrs. Craigic Davey, Hon. Mr. Eraser, Messrs. Lee, Malcolm, M'Kenzie, No«worthv, Sitloy, G. M. Thomson, Voitch, and Wilkinson, Tho committee is to report within seven days.