NAURU PHOSPHATES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3527, 14 July 1920, Page 7

NAURU PHOSPHATES.

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\".—\S’l,‘.\’"l-.‘.'\.‘S 01* Dl-IP()Sl'l‘b'.

I.='_\’EXCl‘l‘.'..LEl) IN QLJ-\T,l'l.‘Y‘

The N:1u1'11 ;\g:'eClllent: Bill htl\'illg passed its sec-011d re:ll_ling in the Hnnse of Collllll'ol'ls, and the N9ll’ Zeal-.llll]. and Austrztlian GoVel’nlnellt's 11avi11g mmle their paynlents_. news 511011111 be to 11-.111<11:1t any time now ot’Q'tlle linul stages of the 'tl'£llls:lc’tioll. It ‘is -.1 somewhat extl':lor(lillal'y tlT3\’élopnlellt. that three Goverlllllellts 51101116 omnbinei nntl buy out a private company ‘with the View to czll‘l'ying‘ 011 the business thelllselve:~:. The gell'e*l'-.11 puhhe does not realise the great 17:1po1~ta11ue of ample supplies‘ of pllospll-.ltc ii) any country. As an illsftlll(.‘»C,. n1e11ti<11: was made in :1 recent cah'legl-11111 of the fact. that Grer‘l‘ll-.ln_v required 300,000. t'olls in her fit-sf list of css€lltial ]]eL‘(_.l.\‘. This in spite of the fact tll.at' she 11:13 large quantities of basic slag 11\':1i1:11)1C. In Australia _'p:3.ltticularly a grent deal of importance has been rlt‘t:l,r.-11e('1 to this I_lllo‘s‘pllate question, and it w:lTs soon evi<lent. at the I’ezl.ce Confel'ellce that Ml‘ Hughes wonl<l make :1 s‘n'ollg‘ bid for the future- control bf N:111ru. F01't1111:1te1_v for Nexv Zealttail. 110wever/_ .\lr ..\l‘ussey :11s0 was alive to the impc»rt:lnce of the matter. 11116 as :1 re.w.llt'. of his e,tt’ol'ts the .1)o111inien I.\';to I'l£lV‘o an 211111110 proportion of these vast:

Cu-posits. ‘ _ THREE FAC'I‘ORS OF I‘MPOR’I‘ANCTI]

E There are three factors which Inu'ke the phosphate deposits at I\':luru and Ocean Islands of vital import:ln(:o to New Zealand and Austl'zllia. The first is the immensity of tfiem. I'ullning us they do into many nxiiiions of tons. sul’fir:iont to last for several gc-nerm tions. The second is ‘the: high lgrixiee of fine deposits, whic}l runs frmn R 5 to 88 per cent. h-1-basic phosp'lTa'te of lin‘n‘~.’) 21 qu.'.llil'f: ix‘-}\ir*h is .~:o]Jozn equ:l.l~ led and noVe:' 9.\:cL~lled. Tl:-e third factor is the rzomparativo pl'o.\'imity of the depositfi to the two <*oun’rrios. An ordinary cafgn steznner would reach HIO9O islands \ViH]i.l‘ ton <l:\_\‘s ’r':'mn New Zealaud. The nHw'x' n@zll'osl‘ l:lx'g‘9 dopo;<it.~‘ are in HM‘ *(:'xlit't.~d Stat:-s. Egypt, tutu‘! Chrisfnmsz TSIT‘I‘.(I-i11"H}(-“ [ll- - Ocoml, all of '\\'hi(‘Tl are vory much ‘ further afiolfl. I

As res_»'zlr(l.< tho :nppn.ro.ntl_'v hi,r:h rate of Hm pul'(-.'n2lsl* nlmw_\' fr» lw ptzid 13$’ the Hlr(-é C?t>\'m'nnlami.< fa)" H 29 l':'u'ifi«' P‘nns]‘»:li‘o Cmnpan_y‘.< pl‘()pM'f_y (‘:'1’».6()0.000). it must be rm*.:-:~nllwl'm‘. Hslll Hll‘Governmenfs are buyins_r out :1 concern which, with its pl'odf_‘(:(3ssox'.a'. has been in ‘this bll.~'in«-;~s For about 50

years, during \\‘l1l.(3l1 time :1 worldwide‘; connection lihs been worked up. .\"n~.lru and Ocean Islands ‘are quite? up-t.o-(late seupiorts, and are able to ship LOOO tons of pl~losphute :1 day in fine =\\'ezltlwx'. They niay also be con~=idered modern mining tmvnslxips, the plants there being very extensive. Mmlern nl:lch.inol'y is u.se<,l to :1 large extent, and nearly all of it is electrically driven. Power is generitted Frnni Diesel engines, which give complete s:>.ti.~:faetion. Shipping can be done at. ni_<_rht by means of witle-angle se:ll'ch—‘ lights, and not infl'eque,ntly :1 5000ton vessel is despatched in four or fin‘ d:ly:<’ time. Tlzoisettlementis at both i.<l:ln:l.< are eleeti'ic.ally lit, and complete systems of Watei‘-bol'ne .<ew~ age are installeclv, There are up-tO- - ll'?'.i}).ll'ii‘.\lS ft _‘e:~.ch island, and e‘.‘e:ytliing neeessatry is tlml_Q to ensure the health of the elllploj,’?7eT<. 05 Wllfim there are sometimes eiighged nfi'ffi‘§' t 11>‘ S3OO, 3.11:1 even niore. at (‘.‘l(’l) i.=t:lutl. ' QVATRRYING THE ]e’HOSP}IA'I‘E. The pho.<pl\.:ltc is obtninccl. by qn:lr:~_‘: ing‘, azul it exists in :1 form ‘.'€l‘_V similar to .\'<_-w Zealnnll grzivel, with large l)()11l(lC!‘S of rock plmsphzlte here .-Jhtl there. Tliese are ‘bl‘oli'-?n up with explo.<.i\'es. The loaded trnc.-ke .'uF"r‘lili down to the rock lJl‘e:xK'el's. and the ma_te:'i:ll then passes into ‘artificial tlriers. _.;ub.<equentl_\' being storetl in bins rt‘-atly for sliipmeiit.

Uroan Isluml is just“:lbout the size of R:mgitoto, -and '.1\'21111'11» Ik=la,m‘: is übnnt three times ‘[ll-at size. Both Mu xvl-.::t are known as elevated corui is.hmds. They are se\'el':-11 lmudred fr-Ct hig'h, and the bedrock c-‘onsis‘rs of: coral lilnvs‘r(nw in 9. more "or less pilmacle mg": sumo-

1':-:*t::, v;ho.<u pintmt-',i'~.< z*lmn'm.

I'illH‘.\‘ to :1 height rxfJZ-15ft. The phosphmo is found in betweeon t.h-em. cc('.a.<ion:ll]}' co\'el-in; them e.lli.il‘oly. \V'hon qutlrrying operations on 1:. phosphuto “field” are finisrhod the result, is -.1 series of the limoqwtone 1)i1111:1(31’é:~t, which present :1 \'(‘l‘_\' .=illgul:u' :IppL‘al'1111141. In. the (emnneo of Va few fiT(‘i’li?lis, lm~.'.'ovel, the vogo.*.ati(m. st'nl‘ts io show up. and at the end of a few years. the “fio1d" should have bocome_mo're or less vlothcd in \'ogetati(m again.

Tn the past, All;<tx‘aliu._J:lp{ln pnd I'luropb havo been the prim:ip:l*l pur(‘h:l>'(‘l'.\' of Nauru am] Ocean Islzmd phnsphzlte. and the nutput from the two islands has a\'ol'zlgorl ahmxt 350,0(J!9 tons ‘J. _ve:lr. I;'ndm' the ‘terms of thv ;\’aul‘u agreement .\'o\\"Zoul:lnd is to‘ohtz.lin 11"» pc_l' cont’. oftho output. This .§llould be sllffit:ielxt for presentnicds, and’ when lurger quantities are reqtuhotl the oufput Tmm fhh ishinds can be increased.