Bentonite Find

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 41, 4 March 1937, Page 4

Bentonite Find |

DISCOVERY 0F VALUE Other Deposits Located Near Gisborne BENEFIT T0 INDUSTRY The optaion that the discovery of bentonite on the property of Mr. Harold Stoddart at Forangahau was an important one, and that ta addition to the complete investigation of the field due considerar tion should be given to the question of exploittag the Domtaion's secondary tadustries was expressed by Mr. H. M. Ohristie, M.P., ta the course of an taterview with the ' Herald-Tribune last night. "The investigation of the discoveryis only in its preliminary stages as yet, and the whole of the inquiri.es- and investigation is in the hands of the Government and its departmental of* ficers," he said. "The deposit was discovered by the Government 's geological officers and further investigations are beiug carried out. 1 The Government realises the value of such systematic investigation by scientists into the geological possibilities of New Zealand as has been responsible for this discovery," added Mr. Christie. "If we are to develop t.Tiia country 's resources fully we must give due regard to the importance ofwhat have been known in the past as secondary industries, and anything which can be produced more cheaply in New Zealand than it can be imported is going to assist materially in the development of this aspect of our national business. ' ' The potential value of the deposit of bentonite at Porangahau, he polnted out, could not be properly estimated until the preliminary investigations xegarding the extent of the deposit, the purity of it and its accessibility had been completed, but, concluded Mr. Christie, it was certain that +-he Government would make a very fSorough investigation. The properfcy on which the find wfts mad© is a Qrown leasehold, and consequently the mineral rights are vested in the Government, hence the recent visit of departmental officers and confcemplated inspeotion. of the property by the Hon. R. Semple. Minister of Public Works, on his forthcoming visit to Hawke's Bay. The latest discovery is not the first find of a field of bentonite in New Zealand, according to Professor J. A. Bartrum, Professor of Geology at the Auckland University College. Fairiy considerable outcrops were found last year further up the East Ooast, near Gisborne, and investigations have been proceeding throughout the summer. The mineral, which is formed through the weathering of showers of volcanio dust, first loomed into prominenca in the early war period as a substituia for other materials and its value today is largely due to its asefulness, although it was stated by several persons interested in the discovery that bentonite is not essentiai for the manufacture of cement, but is decidedly acceptable as a relatively cheap substi- . tute for other materials. Its use is not conftned to cement making, however, having become very general in the last few years. especially in the refining of oils, It is also used for ■ the manufacture of some eosmetios. Its water absorbing and plastic properties had been found particularly useful