FOE WAR PURPOSES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2671, 18 January 1916, Page 6

FOE WAR PURPOSES

REQUISITIONED PRODUCTS MEAT, CHEESE, AND SCHEELITE. The Imperial Meat Supply Branch established by the Government to control the purchase and export of meat for tho Imperial Board of Trade has lately had its sphere of activity enlarged, for it is now dealing not only with frozen moat, but also with cheese and with tungsten ores, which have been requisitioned for tho British War Office. ~ The total shipments of meat to date are 420,368 quarters of beef, 2,555,460 carcasses of mutton, and 3,245,729 carcasses pf lamb, and the total payments for this meat have amounted to £6,480,395. Of 'the steamers in whicli this meat has been carried 53 have orrived in England; 13 are on the way, and seven —Limerick, Corinthic, Ruahine, Paparoa, Nerehana, Pakeha, and Indrabarah—are loading in New Zea-' land ports. Estiinates have been , obtained of the meat in stores in Now Zealand on January 15, and'tho total is 656,560 freight oarcasses of all classes of meat. In February, eight steamers are expected for loading on this coast, with a total capacity of 794,000 freight oarcasses, .and in March, nine steamers aro expected, with a total capacity of 929,000 freight carcasses. .It is considered that with this space available in ships, and with increased storage space at many of the works, there should bo no congestion such as was experienced in the early months of last year. Shipments of cheese have been sent forward in 12 steamers. Hie total quantity shipped was 46.464 crates, of a total value of £244,286. The total order of the Army Council is for 15,000 tons, of which approximately a quarter has been sent. The branch deals with 270 dairy companies, and according to the capacity of their factories, those companies are required to find their proportion of the whole amount of 15,000 tons. i The deal in scheelite is a much smaller affair, but it is a great deal more complex than the cheese and meat business. Scheelite is a quartz-like ore, from which tungsten or tungstic acid, used in _ the manufacture of special steels, is obtained. Before, the war such scheelite as _we exported went to Germany, and British manufacturers of high-speed steels obtained their supplies of tungsten mainly from Germany. After the war liad been going on for some .'months steps were taken 'to set up plants in England for the treatment of tungsten ores and concentrates. It was hoped that enough tungsten ores would be obtainable within the Empire to meet even the present abnormal demand, and that hopo has been justified. The production of scheelite in New Zealand is 30 tons per month, at rate production can he maintained for some time. The ore is paid for according to the amount of .tungstic acid it contains, and the Imperial Government insists that all scheelite purchased to •its order shall contain at least 60 per cent, of tungstic acid. Tho price paid is 655. per unit. If a ton of scheelite contains6o per cent, tungstic acid, tlie Government pays 60 times 655. per ton, or £195 per ton. Because of this method of payment, analysis of-'the ore is bf great importance; Scheelite submitted for sale is held by tho Ifines Department until the Government Analyst can analyse it to ascertain whether it contains the required' percentage of tungsten. The results of this analysis are forwarded to the Imperial Supply 'Branch, and t'he scheelite is shipped Home, for hone has ever yet been found to be below the 60 per cent, standard. The analysis here is, however, only a trial one, and the Imperial Government pay on their own analysis. But the men who find tho scheelite hero cam not afford to wait : for months for their money\ and the'_ Government here makes to them as bid an advance as possible against the estimated value. A final adjustment is made when the' account sales come out from Home. Scheelite'is found often in small deposits as outcrops at high altitudes, sometimes along, with gold. Many of the men' who find it «re prospectors without means,- and some such nrrange- ■ ment as this has-been found necessary. Tho total quanlit.v'of scheelite shipped up till the present is 66 tons 13cwt., of a value of £13,516.