PROPOSED NEW INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1930, Page 6

PROPOSED NEW INDUSTRY

NITRATE WORKS AT DOUBTFUL SOUND.

INVERCARGILL, April 3

It is far from improbable that in

e near future a town of four thousand inhabitants will spring up at Doubtful Sound. An American- engineer, Air R . H. Gibb, is at present making investigations in and conducting a_ the district between . tlie Sound and the west arm of Lake Manapouri. At the conclusion of his investigations, lie will report to tlie American company by which be bad been engaged and; .'if the ■‘’ifep&rte.'fc.xleumetl by the cqmppny to be it will proceed to negotiate with a New Zealand syndicate, which was granted a concession over the area. ‘"Hri thcfeveiit of tbo.se negotiations resulting in tlie pucliase of the option by the American company ,a vast new industry involving the expenditure of approximately £7,000,000 will be established at the Sound. Nitrogen will by means of electricty, he extracted from .the air, ! and by a fixation profess rendered suitable for fertilising purposes. The nitrate works will employ up to two thousand men, and would mean a vastly increased volume of business for tlie port of BlufF and the city of -Invercargill.. The fiord country would •Aissiinie' Mr greater.importance than at present attaches to it.

The prominent New Zealand.. geologist, Dr P. Marshall, retiifribcf 'yester-

day. from Doubtful Sound, where he was conducting' certain investigations fn .connection wfith tlie proposed scheme. Dr. Marshall 1 stated that his investigations and any report lie made <Ts a result of his trip were strictly of a confidential nature. He mentioned however, that Mr Gibb bad been making excellent progress with his survey and had been successful in devising means of surmounting many technical difficulties concerning the development of electrical energy. It electricity could lie developed at a sufficiently low cost, probably other factors, such as marketing facilities, would have to he considered by the company before it decided to purchase. The shipping facilities seemed quite satisfactory.