NATIONALISATION OF IRON AND STEEL.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 65, 7 June 1912, Page 14

NATIONALISATION OF IRON AND STEEL.

Sir, —At present iron and steel aro being imported into New Zealand to the tune of nearly £'4,000,000 a year, whereas . fully two-thirds of 'this expenditure might bo obviated,, and an absolute saving of about £2,000,000 a year might be effected, apart from innumerable collateral advantages in the way of additional local industrial activity. State works for the production of our own iron and steel would rendor this country independent during times of war scare and secure under any other international emergency, in addition to providing employment for a local army of workers. In a pamphlet I published in 1901, entitled "Aro State Coal Mines Practicable in New Zealand?" I pointed out that State coal mines iv this country can never !> a financial success unless all coal mines whatsoever arc nationalised, seeing that tho big coal companies have already been allowed to collar tho best coal leases; whereas, if the Government were to go in for State ironworks they woukl have all the Bold to themselves. They would have a fair field and no local competition, and with New Zealand's largo and growing demand for iron and steel, tho iron industry, if run as a State concern, would bo bound to prove financially successful. This argument applies still, in spite of tho fact that the Government is now bent on creating new complications and difficulties through granting fresh iron ore leases to private parties. Hero I would mention an important fact. Only last month (on tho 16th ul,t.) another application for a lease of Valuable haematite iron ore in the Golden Day district was heard before tho Warden's Court, and was actually granted. This has taken place, mark you, in spite of all that was said in Sir Joseph Ward's last Budget and in the last Governor's Speech, to the effect that State iron works would be started almost forthwith. It is clear that the present Government is in this respect playing into tho hands of private parties, and is thus, in spite of all warnings, committing the same sin as largely caused the overtlirow of their predecessors in power. Against this sort of thing I trust the Federation of Labor will utter an emphatic protest, and will let the present Government sco plainly that, the workers and taxpayers of this country aro no longer willing to waste two millions a year on the purchase of iron and steel materials which could be manufactured at our own door, and that the iron lease l ? of Golden Ray .ire no longer to be locked up and nnworked. until foreign capitalists aro pleased to step in and pick our industrial eyes out. —Yours, etc., JOSEPH TAYLOR, Nelson. Afininj; Engineer.