SHORTAGE OF CEMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2406, 11 March 1915, Page 7

SHORTAGE OF CEMENT

POSITION IN AUSTRALIA

i A COMBINATION OF UNUSUAL' \ j CIRCUMSTANCES.

.! ' Recent Sydney files stated that the I Public • Works Committee held a special : 1 sitting in Portland, N.S.W., . for the i purpose of taking evidence with regard 1 to the construction of. a permanent ; water supply for the town, and, during ■1 [ the sitting, it was stated that water t was so scarce that the Commonwealth V.i Portland Cement- Company, Ltd., was i !j k paying £50 a day for water from Litht:\, Row in order to'keep/ its works at y Portland going. This item of news is V 1 of particular interest on account of the extraordinary position that exists at . i the present time in connection with the >i | cement supply' of the Commdnwealth | and New Zealand. _ In Australia par- ■ ticularly a combination of unusual cir- [ cumstances has led to a great shortage of 'cement, and many people with big ' contracts in hand find themselves in a , } rather awkward position in consequence jof this shortage. Mr. .J.. D. Bell, • president of the Brisbane Merchants' i ! Association, and a member of the i Icouncil of the Chamber of Commerce :, In that city, yesterday gave a Domin- ' iok reporter an idea of some of the j causes that have led to the present ; situation, and one or two developments ' that may possibly

German supply Cut OIT. At the start of the war' tliere was- a

; great deal of cement in German ships bound for Australia, and when these [ vessels were held up; in various ports, ; the cargoes never . went, on—at all ' events, not for a long time afterwards. For instance, between ; 6000 and 7000 : barrels of German cement were en route to Brisbane" at the time, and, when these failed to reach port, work in Queensland, which depended on cement, . was threatened with stoppage. The Commonwealth Portland .Company, which has an immense output when working at full capacity, could, in conjunction. with other Australian works, supply the whole of Australian requirements in ordinary circumstances, and ■would have liked l to do so, but just' when it might have transacted a tremendous business the drought interfered with' its water supply, and it could not go. on at full capacity. At the present time it was just manufacturing sufficient for immediate State requirements. British supplies would have suited the trade—the (Commonwealth tariff prefers J goods from, .the United Kingdom—but this source of supply was restricted also on ac- ■ count ot the shortage of ships, space_ in vessels from the United Kingdom being

' verv limited.. The situation was still ' further complicated by the restricted New Zealand output in consequence of the destruction of the Portland Cement Company's works at Whangarei. New Zealand Firms Approached. Mr. Bell,-who was under the impression that adequate supplies' in 'New Zealand, has been endeavouring to Becure a: quantity during his holiday trip to the .Dominion, as the firm he represents, James Campbell and Sons, •Limited, of. Brisbane,could do with more than is offering on the other side. He confesses himself disappointed at the inability of this country to supply a lino of which there was said to be ample quantities. ,Only recently, he said, ho had read a paragraph in one 1 of ths.. Auckland papers to the effect that the managerof the; Milburn Lime '] and Cement Co. had stated, that plenty of cement was available in the Dominion, and; that his own company could i supply 1000 tons a month: • Mr. Bell immediately wired to the; manager, but i received'a reply that the Milburn Co. was not prepared to- offer any quantity . 'at ths time'. .. Probably the . company may have recently taken over heavy Australian contracts, . which would consume its present supply. The i position', however, is one that may change very quickly. . For instance, it the Commonwealth PortlanS Co. had' , the good fortune to have the dam at the works'filled by a fall, of rain—one storm, it is said, would be sufficient— the company could go ahead at full 'speed, and supply the Eastern States of Australia... . Then, again, with the establishment of new .works in the Dominion in the near future the present' I shortage might disappear before an overloaded market. Japan as a Competitor, ;■ A rather important .development was to be expected, toes in connection with' 'Japanese cement offering. The Japanese were very anxious to get the trade, ' and had a very high-grade article, to ' offer—quite.'* equal to anything to be procured hare or from Home. There might be trouble in finding: Bhipping space, but that is not anticipated, as the Japanese lines are.running regularly to Australia, and appear to have . ' aplenty of space.- Advice received by Mr. 1 Ball states that Japanese cement t ' can be landed in Queensland 2s. a cask ' or 12s. a ton cheaper than New Zealand cement. Both are classed in the tariff as foreign, and liable to duty at. the rate of 30s. per ton, against 20s. a ton » payable on cement from 'the United Kingdom. A firm with' cement works at Hong-Kong was also after Australian trade, and could probably compete with 'New Zealand under the present tariff. 'At the start of the war art" effort was ; made by Brisbane merchants to have ■New Zealand placed on the same level as the United Kingdom, but without success.' Now it was pretty well under- , stood that, unless'free; trade is established between the countries, cement -) will not be included in any reductions', and under existing conditions there ap- • • peared to be small chance pf New Zea- / I 'land holding any of the trade against ] 'Japan, - .