CHILIAN INDUSTRY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4681, 31 March 1924, Page 3

CHILIAN INDUSTRY.

yjfe, THE USE OF NITRATE OF SODA.

LECTURE AT PAEROA SCHOOL.

’.Jr Alfred E. Stephen, F.C.S., of Sydney was in Paeroa on Friday lor the purpose of delivering a public address on “Chili and its Nitrate ot Soda.” Unfortunately suitable arrangements were not made for the holding of the lecture, but, instead, Mr Stephen was good .enough to address the senior pupils of the local district high school. The speaker was introduced by Mr G. H. Taylor, the headmsater.

Mr Stephen, who recently made a comprehensive tour of Chili, dealt in an interesting manner with the discovery and subsequent history of South America, particularly Chili. The population, about 4,000,000', is almost entirely of Spanish origin, chiefly owing to the ban on foreigners during the 300 years when it was under the Spanish regime. Chili was the first South American State to this 2400 miles of coastal country, selwas made a Republic in ISIO it has developed rapidly, especially within the last quarter of a century. The geographical and scenic features of this 2400 miles of coastal country seldom more than 100 miles wide, were also dealt with. The timber industry and coppermining were a distinct asset to the country, said Mr Stephen, but its wealth was derived, mainly from the nitrate industry. The nitrate was ob tained in a desert region in the north where the rainfall amounted to tin .in 20 years. Qne hundred and thirty largo factouries, most of them developed with the aid of British capital, were engaged in handling the crude material. Some idea of the magniture of 'the deposits might be grasped from the fact that 2.500,0v0 tone of the refined article were exported annually. Even at that rate the deposits would last 250 to 301 years. The nitrate was used in the manufacture of gunpowder, sulphuric and nitric acids, enamel and glassware; but by far the greatest part was used in agriculture as a fertiliser Some interesting remarks were made oil the use of manures, simple instr,ir tions being given by whici anybody could test the effect of various manures on his own particular, soil. Mr Stephen gave it as his considered opinion, after 10 years’ stud?’ of the nitrogen question in New Zealand, that large quantities of nitrate of soda could profitably be used :n Nsw Zealand, especially on pastures, mangolds, fruit, and vegetable crop*. In this connection it may be mentioned, said Mr Stephen, 'that last year a Canterbury farmer grew 115 tons per acre of Yellow Gloge mangolds by applying the usual mixture with th’, tec-d and top-dressing with nitrate of soda after the plants had been thinned. The pupils listened with marked attention to an excetpionally interesting lecture.