NAURU PHOSPHATES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1926, Page 3

NAURU PHOSPHATES

Cl >M MISSION’S 11 IS. AG H ELM ENT SYDNEY. April 1.

It, was reported recently ill a Melbourne paper, usually well-informed in -lu ll matters, that a disagreement had ii'currcd between the New Zealand anil British representatives on the Nauru I’ho.sphnlo ( ommissioii. on The. one hand, and the Australian representative on tin* other, ll was stated that a shortage of phosphate supplies hail hern caused as a result of the action d the Australian Commissioner vetoing a proposal lor supplies from Makalea as an iii.siii'aiiu* against had "caliit iiiterfei'i'ing with .shipments. Purifier. ii was said that the British ( ottinissioiu*r opposed a .proposal favoured ,v her two Cuminisximiet's for lie constrir tion of a cantilever jetty it, iNanrn to facilitat" the loading if -hip- in open mu. I lie paper supported these statements by another hat- these stories of dissention among .he members of the Commission and

a proposal to Transfer the head office of the Commission from Sydney to New Zealand "ere causing the Commonwealth Government, concern.

According to the paper, tlio Prime Minister (Mr Bruit*) said that flic decision to remove the headquarters was reached nt a meeting held at Vancouver towards the end of lasi year. The CommonWeSiUlU Government. which the importance of such a proposal, had taken up the matter as soon as it had learnt, of tin* decision, and it would take what action it could to prevent the proposed transfer. In order to do this, and to preserve the friendly relations between the Commissioners, the Prime Minister stated that lie was now in touch with Hie British and New Zealand Governments. Federal Ministers declared that Australia was the right place for the Commission's bead ojihe, because Australia imports by far greater portion of the shipments of phosphate from Nauru and Ocean Inland. Additional attention lias been attracted to Nauru and Ocean Island by the visit of the Administrator of Nauru (Brigadier-General T. (Zriffitli.s) to Melbourne on furlough. He made Australians’ mouths water, for instanee by telling them that there was no income-tax on the island. General Griffiths says that there are ■IOOO acres of phosphate-hearing land at Nauru, and that it is computed that the deposits total 120,000,000 tons, and the yearly exports average 250,000 tons.