NAURU PHOSPHATES

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1931, Page 3

NAURU PHOSPHATES

BRITISH COMMISSIONER HERE

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

Sir George Saltmarsh, a member of the British Phosphate Commission, is a visitor to Wellington. His career has been a distinguished one, including much work connected with the war. In 1914 he was a member of an executive set up to deal with Prize Court cases, and in the following year was appointed a member of the Indian Wheat Commission, and also Director of Grain Storage to the English Grain Supplies Committee. In 191516 lie was vice-chairman of the Allies’ Wheat Purchasing Committee, and also a member of the Royal Commission on Wheat Supplies. For these and other services he was made a Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy, an officer of the Legion of Honour, and Commander of the Order of King Leopold 11. On the resignation of Sir Alwyn Dickinson six months ago, the British Government .appointed Sir George to the post of commissioner for phosphates for Ocean Isliand (British) and Nauru Island (a mandated territory held under the authority of the League of Nations), where exist such plentiful supplies of the commodity of which wheat-growing countries are ever in need. In the course of an interview yesterday, Sir George stated that as a commissioner representing the United Kingdom, which with Australia and New Zealand, is directly interested in Nauru, lie had taken the first opportunity of coming out to make the acquaintance of his two fellow commissioners, Mr A. Ellis, C.8.E.. of Auckland, representing New Zealand, and Mr Clive McPherson, C.8.E., representing Australia. Mr Ellis had been travelling with him in New Zealand, and together they were visiting the works in the Dominion, where phosphate rock was turned into the superphosphates required by the man on the land.

AUSTRALIA AND N.Z. TAKE WHOLE OUTPUT.

Sir George explained that some 50,000 tons of phosphate rock was shipped away from Nauru annually in the 70-odd steamers chartered for the purpose, each one averaging about 7000 tons a trip. The whole of this was taken by New Zealand and Australia, being supplied at cost price to the respective Governments. There was no question of any profit being made by the commission. None of the phosphates from either Nauru or Ocean Islands found its way to England, as tlie freight on such a long journey would make it much dearer than the same commodity could be reliased for at Casablanca, on the noi cn coast of Africa.

NO FEAR OF SHORTAGE. Tlie deposit was surface-mined by a staff composed of whites, islanders and Chinese coolies, all of whom were treated very well; in the case of the Chinese, at all events, a good deal better than they had ever been treated in their lives. There was no fear of any shortage of rock, as it was computed that there were stil 200,000,000 tons on the two islands.