Page 5 Advertisements Column 3

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1620, 11 December 1912, Page 5

MR. S. IRWIN CROOKES. Mr. S. Irwin Crookes, M.1.E.E., F.C.S., of Auokland, in his report, says:—"Magnitude % of the. Limestone Mountain Deposit; I have computed the area of Limestone Mountain in the plan as approximately. 560 acres. The boundary line of this is markod on the map. This boundary encloses that part of tho property where the cement rock, is found near tho surface. For the purpose of estimating tho probable amount of cement rock within that area, this has been cut down to 500 acres, so that it will be evident that a conservative estimate has been made, as the calculation takes no account of about as much material as can be obtained on Limestone Island. On the basis of these latter figures I calculate there are over 420,000,000 tons of cement rock in this particular area. Coal: The geological formation of the country points to the probable existence of coal under the greensands underlying the limestone. As ,the greensands 'outcrop in some of tho lower lying parts of this district, it would be advisable to put down, a bore in one of these valleys. Should coal of reasonablo quality be obtained on the-property it would mean a combination of advantages possessed by no other cement property in existence. Raw Materials—The Cement Rock: This would be otained by open quarrying, about half-way up the hill. The fact that this can be done so easily and the absence of any overburthen of earth mean the .winning of the rock at absolutely minimum cost. This stone would be carried down to tho wotlcs by tramways, which would be worked by the gravitational energy of the stono sent down. The White Limestone: This can be obtained from the .surface at Limestone Point, quite near to the position for tho proposed works,.and a short tramlino with a few trucks is all that would be required. Cost per ton: With the plant'outlined, and under the conditions set forth, it is certain that the cost of a ton of cement delivered shipsido in the Whangarei Harbour would certainly not exceed 255. per ton, and it is very' probable . that it would bo less?" (The ratal engineering expenditure for works, equipment, and buildings, including.erection,- is estimated at ,£63,000, full details of which are given in the report.) "In conclusion, there is here a fine opportunity of establishing a highly remunerative industry of the greatest importance to New Zealand, not only for this generation, but for the generations to come." i , MR. W. J. WILSON. Mr. WJ. Wilson, who.has had twenty-five years' experience in the manufacture of cement from raw materials similar to those at Tikorangi, reports:—"The property known as Tikorangi has been thoroughly tested and immense quantities of first-class cement rpek proved to exist. A drive has been put into the hill, deep bores made, and about 40 pot holes, three or four feet deep, sunk in different parts of the property. From tests I have made I am satisfied that first-class Portland Coment can be made from the .cement rock, with a small admixture of w'hito limestone, a deposit of which is found on tho property. .The situation of tho works' sito on the property has many advantages for cement manufacture. The close proximity of the' Government Kaihyay would give cheap coal supplies and means of land distribution; tho deep-water harbour would enable an export trade to bo developed, especially with Australia, where supplies are short. I have visited between thirty and forty works in Canada. United States and England, and I know of no site in these countries so well situated with reference to raw materials, cheap hydro-electric power, and facilities for distribution of thb finished products. . "With hydro-electrio power at .£9 per h.p., coal at lis. per ton, wages at current rates, I estimate the cost of production at 265. per tonf.o.b. at works." MR GEORGE NELSON. Mr. George Nelson M.l.Mech.E., of Napier, in concluding his report, says:—"l have assessed tho various factors at their tr.up valuo before, summing up. Having:done that,-the proposition appears to be an excellent one, and to contain all tho elements of success. The real question to be answered is not, 'What will the profits be?' but 'Are the natural advantages of the proposition. such as to enable. the proposed company,, if. properly equipped and handled, to successfully compete at a time when the supply of cement exceeds the demand.' The answer is 'Undoubtedly yes!'" . DR, J. M. BELL, Dr. J. M. Bell (late Government Geologist), in his report, says:—"The suitability of the Tikorangi place hydraulic limestone for cement manufacture is shown by the chemical and physical resemblance it bears to the Limestone Island cement stone (controlled by the N.Z. Portland Cement ,00.), which for many years has been found to be a very satisfactory natural product. Two ' analyses of the ordinary class of the Limestone Island hydraulic limestone may be compared with the averages of three analyses from Tikorangi Hill'. From this comparison'it'will be observed that the'quality of the Tikorangi stono is equally good, or even better, than that from Limestone Island. In summing up it may bo said that tho property under consideration exhibits enormous quantities of hydraulic limestone of particularly, good quality in. a position/ easy to quarry, aud from which it can >eadily be transported by gravity to the seashore, where several good sites for a plant exist. The hydraulic limestones from various parts of Tikorangi Hill form, when mixed iv the proper proportions, almost a natural coment. Tho quantity of white limestone visible on tho property to mix with hydraulic limestone for cement manufacture, if in practice, more lime is required, is not great, but is adequate for immediate needs. A further supply is available from To Mati Point, about 1\ miles to the east, if required. The possibility of the discovery of coal is promising, but if. none be found to exist below the surface on the-. property, a fairly cheap supply can, as already mentioned, be brought from Hikurangi. The property may be considered to be of great prospective value for the establishment of a cement industry encompassing, as it does, v/ithin a limited area the principal necessary raw materials." RUGGLES COLES CO., LIMITED. Electro Metals, Limited, co-operating with the above, in roply te their local representative, W. Lancelot Moore, A.M.Inst.C.E., wrote:—"We have designed and equipped a number of important cement works, one of the largest of which is that for tho Croscent Portland Cement Co., at Wampum, Pa., U.S.A., which has a capacity of 3,000 barrels a day, equal to 180,000 tons p.a: The selling price of cement in the United States at the present time is approximately 19s. at the Western Mills. The writer w-as a short time ago at the Crescent Portland Cement Co.'s works, and tho cost of production last month, including nil ■selling, office expenses, bagging and loading, and overhead charges, was a little less than 12s, per ton, The first half-year which they ran they made a.profit of .£13,000. In 1911 they cleared .£31,000. Last month their not" earning was ,£3,000, and they estimate for a year a net earning of ,£41,000. Our estimate of tho cost of manufacture of cement at Tikorangi, New Zealand, under, the conditions named below, is as follows:— . ' £ Power, 1,000 h.p. at .£9 per h.p. year 9,000, Labour (common labour at 6s. lOd. per day, including quarrying) 10,150 Coal for drying rock and coal at 18s. 810 Coal for burning clinker at 18s. 12,960 Bagging ... : . ...' ... 2,160 Repairs and supplies 3,600 Office and selling expenses ... 5,000 Depreciation and Interest 6,060 49,630 Approximately 16s. 7d. per ton on an output of 00,000 tons. (In the foregoing statement it should be noted that New Zealand labour is 10s. per day and local coal costs Us. per ton. The net total, however, is the same). "We also estimate tho cost of mill for 60,000 tons of cement per annum at ,£68,170. This includes ,£IO,OOO for proposed three-mile railway connection, .£10,001) for wharf, ,£450. for Auckland offico anil stores, and ,£4,000 for contingencies, but does not include power plant, ae this will be unnecessary." FULLER ENGINEERING COY. The approximate output of existing mills in New Zealand is one ton per man. The above consulting cement engineering firm informs us that the last works they designed are obtaining an output of 2 2-3 tons of cement per day per man employed. Iu commenting on this they write: "This plant is a complete electrical installation, such as Mr. S. Irwin Crookes proposes to put jn your new installation." HARBOUR BOARD'S REPORT. Whangarei, April 6th, 1911. The Secretary, Harbour Board. Dear Sir,— According to your instructions, I have carefully sounded tho Mnngapai channel from Limestone Wharf to a line of stakes off Jim's Point. The least depth of water found in the channel at low water spring tides was 14 feet off Limestone, increasing in depth to 3J fathoms higher up. The shallow part appeared to bo eilt bottom, and I .think a lot of it has got washed there from Limestone. There is not a chart of the river to bo had, eo I cannot mark the depth on. one. Yours faithfully, (Sgd.) W. B. PATTERSON, G.ENERAL. , The minimum subscription has been fixed at 60,000 shares upon which tho. Directors may proceed to allotment. Thero-&fter~-eJiawa_3JUiJjß. allott«fl_na applipatiotoi mo. recejjed* ... l