Taranaki Ironsands.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1922, Page 4

Taranaki Ironsands.

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. AUCKLAND, Feb. 3. Further negotiations for the establishment of a self-supporting and selfcontaining iron and steel industry in Taranaki form the mission upon which Mr Percy Scott Loggatt, principal of the railway engineering firnwir Thomas Suminerson and Sons, Limited, of Darlington, England, who arrived by the Niagara, has come to New Zealand. It is his second visit to the Dominion.

Mr Leggntt said the whole matter hinged upon the question oi electrical energy. The recent tests at Darlington, a portion of which was witnessed by Mr Massey, were exti'druciy satisfactory, and proved that iron and steel could he produced commercially by electrical process from the iron sand if electrical energy at a reasonable rate could be procured. Broadly speaking, 3000 kilowatt hours must not. cost more than 16 cwt of coke, and as one ton of coke was required for the manufacture of one ton of pig iron, it could readily be calculated whether or not the industry could be placed on a commercial fooling. Since leaving. England he ■had been at the linn's Canada plant, where he had been experimenting for the last nine months on the tilaniierous magnetites of the same chemical composition as the Taranaki • ironsand. A method of treatment had been discovered whereby an iron “sponge” could be produced containing 07 per cent of pure metallic iron. This iron under the microscope exhibited all the characteristics of wrought iron. While in New Zealand lie intended to decide whether the “sponge” which could ho produced from Taranaki ironsand could lie treated electrically or otherwise, but here lie was up against a real diffieultv, as he had no idea whether, when, or how the necessary electrical energy might be obtained, and if it was not forthcoming he must fall hack upon the acid open-hearth furnace, which demanded coke. The question of whether suitable coking coal was obtainable in New Zealand arose, but even these difficulties did not perturb him, for before leaving England lie acquired the Pieters process of gasifying lignites. He believed that in the vicinity of New Plymouth was a lignite field of considerable area, and if local influence and local support could be obtained, bis partners and himself would use every endeavour to build up an industry on progressive lines, and he hoped on obstacle would be placed in their way. Referring to the hydro-electric supply at New Plymouth, Mr Loggatt said bis partners, associates, aaid himself were quite prepared to finance, the development. The minimum development should be 10,000 h.p., of which at least 3000 kilowatts should he earmarked for the service of any furnaces they mighterect at Now Plymouth. As lie had very frequently informed the New Plymouth Borough Council, they were quite prepared to find all the requisite money on, the security of the community. He did not think his propositions, which were firm offers, had ever been thoroughly examined. It had been a source of wonderment to them that such offers had been consistently disregarded during the past two years. The contract for power into which they were prepared to enter would hayp,pa,id the entire bonded interest, leaving the residual power practically as a gift to the community at large.