MINERALS AND INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 150, 14 March 1918, Page 5

MINERALS AND INDUSTRY

A TALK BY BUSINESS MEN. A short address on the mineral resources of New Zealand was delivered by Mr. Lionel Nelson at the meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce last night. Mr. Nelson said that New Zealand had many minerals, but only some of them had been worked commercially with any measure of success. This, along with the, stagnation of some other industries, was due, in his opinion, to the fuct that, it was easy to achieve a high standard of.comfort with little effort. We had suffered by 100 great prosperity, in much the same way as a successful, business ■man, after having made his pile, lost his grip, and often lost his fortune. • Had private enterprise been allowed free BcoDe in this countrv we should have liad much greater development in industry, especially in the harnessing of water power and the building of necessary rail ways. He discussed in general the possibility of encouraging all ■ industries. He believed that wo could lay the foundation of a great iron industry in NewZealand. One of the points he made was the necessity for a- wiser view on the part of Labour. It was not the fact that short hours of work and lessened effort made for national growth. On the contrary, lessened effort made for deterioration. Mr. L. A. Edwards agreed Hint nnlcs the worker came to realise that lessened effort meant increased cost of living to himself, there could be no lasting solft tion of labour troubles, in the midst of wliich no industry could flourish. He asked for information as to whether it was a commercial possibility to collect Taranaki ironsand and treat it. He was informed that it was not.

Mr. Francis Holmes, referring to the ironsuml matter, said that the groat difticully was lo procure the suitable coal. He was told that the only suitable coal from the l'nparoa mine cost 2Ss. on the New Plymouth wharf. '.Hie pigiron was of exceptional quality. The Government might help the industry by the establishment of roller mills for the manufacture of rails.

Mr. D. S. Ferguson said we could never have a satisfactory iron-smelting industry until we had n good mine, and ho believed that the only place in which.such a mine was likely to be found was in the South Island. ~,.-,' Mr. C. 51. Luke said ho looked forward to the time when,, the banks and the Government would render assistance tu manufacturers, as they had already given to the producing interests. The first mid most important need was cheap power, and New Zealand had some'of the best resources in the world in umisuod water power. Hitherto it had not been possible to produce iron from Taranaki sand nt a commercial price, but if metals were to maintain a high price, Taranaki iron might be worth while for special purnnses, because it was of very special quality. . , Mr. Nelson, replying, said that ho hart heard some men doming the qunliiy_ of Taranaki iron, as well as some praising il The chief obstacle to cheap production of it was the lack of cheap electric power. Parapara opened .1 hotter prospect, l>nt the venture would V> a but 0110 and it would have been difficult nt anv time during the last few years to convince. P.uauciers.. abroad <o_invest :v quarter of a million W an iiutaaHM venture in New Zealand. For an enterprise of the sort we' would have to go outside of this country for the. cipenence and capital to run it. (