COMMERCIAL METALS,

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1780, 19 June 1913, Page 5

COMMERCIAL METALS,

ME. H. J. H. BLOW ON IRON DEPOSITS. Mr. H. J.'H. Blow (Under-Secretary for Public Works) returned to Wellington by the Moeraki from;. Sydney yesterday .-Interviewed 'By Sfr. 'Blow said that his visit to Australia had. been both interesting and enjoyable. On© of the j principal. objects of., his .journey..was to, j represent Netf Zealand at the Australasian Mining Congress, which was held this year at Broken Hill. Owing to the faot that the congress was held in a zinc and lead mining district, the papers discussed dealt mainly with, these metalß, and their production. The proceedings .were of less interest to New Zealand than those of previous years, as there is no Zinc and lead mining in the Dominion. At Broken .Hill they now constitute the principal output of the mines, Mining an the district originated at Silverton, twenty miles away , from Broken Hill, and, as the name implies, silver was tho principal product. Later on ( richer deposits.of silver were discovered at Broken Hill, but these hove now been almost Worked out, and it is the production of zinc and lead that keeps the mines going. (Tho metals are sent away from Broken Hill in concentrates, and the percentage of silver which is included is extracted Ut Port Pirle, The congress was attended by between 60 and 70 delegates. Mr. Blow was the only New Zealand representative, but the various Australian States all sent a number of delegates. The papers discussed at the congress are already in print, and the official report of the proceedings will be published about six weeks hence. The scene of tho next congress will be the Mount Lyell tin mines, in Tasmania, and it will be held in January next. The most interesting event in connection with the late congress, from tho point of view of New Zealand, was tliß .visit paid by many of the delegates, Mr. Blow amongst the number, to Iron Knob, on the further side of Spencer Gulf from Broken Hill. At Iron Knob rich deposits of iron ore are being opened up by the Broken Hill proprietary. The ore js to be carried by the company a distance of 32 miles over its own railway, and then to sea over a distance of 15110 miles to Newcastle, where it is to be smelted. The company is to receive no assistance whatever from the Government, a fact, as Mr. Blow remarked, which, affords a striking contrast to tho proposals which have been, advanced with a view to the development of the iron deposits in New Zealand. In this country companies demand a substantial subsidy as an aid to iron-smelting enterprise, although coal is to be found much nearer to the iron deposits than is tho case in Australia. , 'l'he valuable information .which he was able to obtain on the subject of tho iron industry, Mr. Blow remarked, had made it well wortli his while to attend the conference. The fact that it had not yet been found practicable to profitably work the iron deposits jn New Zealand, he added, was not a matter lor concern. Iron deposits were becoming more valuable every year, and in future years such iron as New Zealand contained would be worth a great deal more than it was now. From the national standpoint, there was no harm in the iron deposits lying neglected in tho meantime. When the richer deposits had been worked out, those of Now Zealand would be an immensely valuable asset. •