PHOSPHATE SUPPLY

Hokitika Guardian, 23 June 1927, Page 1

PHOSPHATE SUPPLY

1 NCR EASE IN NAURU OUTPUT

AUCKLAND, June 21. New Zealand's prosperity largely depends on tdie supply of phosphates available. News brought by Afr Albert E. Ellis, who came back front Sydney by the Aiarama this morning, will be welcomed. Mr Ellis was the man who lirst discovered the value of the wonderful deposit on Nauru Island, and be is now New Zealand Commissioner on the British Phosphate Commission which controls both Nauru and Ocean Islands, two places from which New Zealand gets the stuff she scatters on her broad acres and gets it all back again in bigger butter cheques. “Wo are going to have a record year,” said Mr Ellis. “Wo will probably ship about- (380,000 tons of phosphate from our two islands, a quantity that is abend of all previous records by some 100,000 tons. It will mean that- about 100.000 tons will come to New Zealand during the year that sllirts on July 1 next, and that will be a large increase over previous imports for twelve months. Affairs are going along very satisfactorily, and very fine weather lias been experienced at the islands. The increase in our output is due first to the exceptionally favourable weather, and also to improvements that have been carried out to the plant. “An. important improvement at. Nauru Island will be the great cantilever loading stage for which a contract, was sijgncd last March with a large British engineering firm. Ibis gigantic wharf will hang out over the shore of the island rather alter the manner of the cantilever verandahs that are so popular to-day. 'I lie phosphate is trucked on to this cantilever pier and held in great Tuns on the overhanging end. lrrun which it is

shot down into vessels moored below. Owing to the depth ol water, ordinary methods i,i wluirl construction are quite impracticable at such islands. which rise stcentv Iroui the ocean bed like mountain tops.

“Some idea ot tho scale on which the works are planned will be given when it is stated that the cost ol too cantilever and accessories at Nauru will run. into albotit £200,000.. A ucv, jetty is also to bo put in at Ocean Island, the other Pacific “speck”

which the commission controls and works.”