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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

[jyb letter attended to unless verified by the name and address of the toriter. No manuscripts returned. Correspondents must be prepared in all cases to take the legal consequences (if anif) resulting from the publication of their letlers.J STEEL SAND. Srn, — Having seen in the columns of your local contemporary an article on the Taranaki steel sand, and understanding fully its immense value aa a raw material, I would fain draw, through your columns, the attention of those in authority over us as to how the steel sand of Taranaki and Stewart's Island might be made a source of revenue immediately and permanently • and would suggest in the first place, that 5s per ton should be levied as a duty on all black steel sand removed from the beaches of New Zealand for export. If wanted for local consumption, it might still be removed free of cost; and this amount of protection is surely all that the native industry would require. Could the English steel-makers rely on a constant and large supply of our New Zealand steel sand, I believe they would soon excel the Swedish and Prussian steel-makers in quality and cheapness, and as steel rails and steel boiler platea, and plates for ship-building purposes, are coming greatly into vogue, it will be a matter of some moment that the British makers of those articles should know where they may find an almost inexhaustible supply. As a local industry, I fear we have yet too limited an amount of capital in the country to tackle steel-making on any large scale ; (on which scale only could we ever hope to compete successfully with the home makers) as the mere plant alone would involve a very heavy outlay, say at least £100,000 or £200,000. On the score of the outlay being too heavy for us at present, I believe we would meantime therefore be better to give our European brethren the chance of manipulating our steel sand ; and when " our limbs and hands grow stronger," as worthy scions of the good old stock, we will try and make as good steel blades here as were seen at "Bothwell Brig " or "Salamanca." Trusting this note may catch the eye of some of those in high places, and in the hope that it may have their "distinguished consideration." — I am, &c. , Boii/EB Plateb. Invercargill, 13fch Jan., 1872.

P. S. — The imposition of a 5s duty would prevent the monopolisiag of the sand by any one party, leaving it to remain as a source of benefit to the people of the colony generally.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST18720123.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Southland Times, Issue 1528, 23 January 1872, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
433

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Southland Times, Issue 1528, 23 January 1872, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Southland Times, Issue 1528, 23 January 1872, Page 3

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