NEW ZEALAND IRON

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3139, 18 July 1917, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND IRON

THE PARAPARA DEPOSITS BY DOMINION'S COMMISSION "There are many deposits of iron tiro throughout. the islands of New Zealand," states l.ho final report of, the Dominions Royal Commission, "but the, only ona of any real magnitude is at Pstapara, on thn west const, nf tlio SouthIsland. Its contents have been variously ostimaled, but. (he total is undoubtedly very .large. Thn oro is of good finality, suitable for foundry -purposes and for mailing basic steel, but the requirements of the. New Zealand market, would not. at present justify the outlay necessary for conversion into steel. It. was suggested to us that a market could be found for thn orn in Japan, and, we are of opinion that it. would be in the interest/! of .New Zealand that, it should be exported to as many markets as possible in order that ilrf quality should bo ; thoroughly tested. II; mould bo welcomed in {he United Kingdom, but. wo fear that tho cost of freight would render shipment them impossible. "Hew Zealand lias an asset, of great potential- valne in the ironsands ou tho West Const. The metallic iron contained is virtually freo from deleterions ingredients, and the supply is practically inexhaustible. But to convey it. to any distance in. its present, form would bo very costly,'whilst its conversion would in all -probability involve treatment in electric furnaces. This asset is essentially so valuable that it is not likely to Temain permanently .neglected." The report adds that towards tho end of 1016 ■a beginning wns made with the utilisation of the ironsands of Taranaki for the production of iron and steel. The statement of tho report that the Parapara deposit of-iron ,oro is "the only ono of any real magnitude" in New Zealand is sweeping, in view of the limited amount of prospecting, work that l.as been undertaken in connection with the known iron deposits. There is' a bed of iron, ore about slxtv feet thirk on the west sido of Mount Peel, in Canterbury, for instance. Samples of the oro have been 6hown to contain sf> per cent, of metallic iron, and the deposit ]ias been traced for a distance of thveo miles. An extensive deposit of iron ore (lhnonite and glaucnnite) occurs on the western slopo of Mount loyal, in Otago. It contains about 37 nor cent, of metal, and hhR been stated by experts to be important as regards both quality and position.