THE IRONSAND INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 72, 19 March 1902, Page 2

THE IRONSAND INDUSTRY.

MS SMITH AT THE THEATRE ROYAL. AN ACCOUNT OF HtS MISSION HOME. There was a fair attendance at the Tneatre Royal on Tuesday night when Mr E. M. Saaith, M.t1.1t., delivered a lecture on tbe subject of the ironsand industry, aud also gave an account of his mission to England, with the Hon. A, J. Oadman, in the interests of the proposed csmpany to develop the industry. The Mayo* - , Mr Dockrill, briefly introduced the lecturer, who on rising to speak was greeted with loud applause. After a faw introductory remarks Mr Smith referred to the value of the vast deposits of gaud and other material to be found in Taranaki. If, he said,

the development of the ironsacd industry bad bee a gone on with when its value was first practically demonstrated I in 1876 New Plymouth would not now have been a to wn of some 5000 or 6000 people. It would instead have been the Middlesborough of the South. He had arranged for exhibition samples of ironsand, iron aod steel in various stages of manufacture, finished articles made from the sand, and various other ina'erials connected with the industry. These had! all hue a submitted to the most prominent metallurgists at Home, aud not one had anything to sty against the quality of the metil produced. Some of the s».mples bad been made by him at Ooehuuga, and others were manufactured at works in Shieffield, from Taranaki ironsand, according to his formula. The lecturer referred to

the fact that Edison, tbe great American electrician and metallurgist, was now experimenting in the production of high class iron and steel from felspar rock, which was the same as the sand on the beach here. If Edigon could make iron at a profit under those conditions, then, said Mr Smith, we should be able to do so here, as we could produce it at a cheaper rate. German and Belgian ironworkers were working on his (Mr Smith's) process at the present time, and they admitted that it was simplicity itself, while being at tbe same time thoroughly scientific. The material at our command was the very best, and in this colony we should have been making all the machinery required for every kind of industry. The people at Home wondered why wo had not been doing so 25 years ago. But he would not reflect on past efforts. We must start afresh, and make a auc-

cess of the businsat". Mr Smith referred to the assistance he had received from locil tradesmen who had made various

articles from the iron, and the verdict

of all was that it was splendid iron to; 1 work. The main question to be con 1 sidered was the cost of production of the iron. The only people who doubted | the possibilities of the industry \vgk> the local residents. Those in the great manufacturing centres at Hoooe, who had an opportunity of investigating the matter, were satisfied there would ba a handsome margin of profit j Material Bold in England at from ,£l2; to .£ls per ton could be produced horo! for £6 5s per ton. Wire could bt> ■ made the tensile strength of which was! 50 tons to the square inch, or 40,0001b j more than that of the wire used in the, Brooklyn bridge, New York. Steel!

I for tool making, valued in England at £6O a ton, could be manufactured here for £2C a ton. Mr Cadman was astourided at the success of his interviews with various scientiSc men, whosa opinions all bore out his (Mr Smith's) statements. New Zealand, continued tbe lecturer, spends .£1,500,000 annually ic iron and steel imports, while the Commonwealth spends £10,000,000 on the same. New Plymouth was the most convenient port to the Federal States, and also to South America, Ohina and Japan. There were specialities we could make here and land on the Sheffield market at, a cheaper ia!e than they could be produced there. There would be no difficulty abus woikers, as numbers of; mtn from America and Australia had] alieady intimated a desii't; to com.-) here ) if works were established. Mr. Smith ! then referred to ths value oE the bye-1 products from ironworks. The slug \ could be utilised for tho manufacture!

of blocks (or the bre ikwater, as was done at Middk'sborough, Those Mrnid

be mads within 12 hours at a cost of j 10s each, [Mr. Smith then spoke at]

some length on the proposals of the company regarding the harbour, details of whieh have already been pub-

lished.] Ths slag bricks could aluo be

used for building purpotes. The waste gas from t/,e furnaces could b» put to profit for the f-upply of powar and light. Othsr valuable bye-producta | were ammonia, and tar. The company proposed to build a railway to tap the Mokau, and this would no doubt prove self-supporting. Canada was now giving a bonus fgr the production of iron, and ths Commonwealth proposed to do the same. Overtures had bean made to Mr. Cadman to join with Australian efforts to establish one big company to work iron deposits; but he j would not have anything to do with it. Mr Smith then gave a lot of inter esticg details regarding the samples on view, and also dealing with the work accomplished by Mr Oadman and himself on their recent visit to England, 1 the gist o? which has already been > published in these columns. He concluded his address, which was fre- | quently applauded, by reciting some ! lims of tbe poem "The Dignity of •! Labour,

A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr W. Amhury, and seconded by Mr W. Courtney, and carried by acclamation.

The usual compliment to the cbair terminated the proceedings.