IRON INDUSTRY IN N.Z.

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 330, 16 April 1928, Page 8

IRON INDUSTRY IN N.Z.

“GOLDMINE” AT GOlfißj BAY

minister’s commms Pres* Association. NELSON. To-day. The Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, made some interesting comments on the iron industry after a visit to the Onakaka Iron and Steel Works. rpHIS, and the manufacture of 1 cement at Tarakohe, he said, made up the two important industries of Golden Bay. When the counwy had the necessary material for tin production of iron everything possible should be done to establish the industry. Also, as many industries depended on the supply of pig-iron it was no use building up an industry that depended on the supply of the raw product, if there was a possibility of the supply being cut off. A sure souree of supply of pig-iron was necessary in this country. It was disappointing to find tie number of industries that had had their requests for protection granted, buying their iron outside New Zealand. That was not playing the game, he said. "I was very much impressed with the Onakaka works.” said the Minister. “There was an opening for the spending of more capital in providing new machinery and improvements to the present plant. Many countries would like to have adjacent deposits of lime and iron as was found at Onakaka. The Onakaka deposits Would be a gold mine if they occurred in Australia, and the Minister could nor think but that they should be a gold mine in New Zealand.

“I can safely say.” continued Mr McLeod, “that that little industry has a great future both for itself and tor this district.”