TARANAKI IRONSAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1921, Page 4

TARANAKI IRONSAND.

EXPERIMENTS IN ENGLAND. EXPERT’S REPORT RECEIVED. (From a London Correspondent.) London, Nov. 3. It will be remembered that Mr. Massey while in England paid a visit to Darlington, to witness some of the initial experiments carried out by the firm of Messrs. Thomas Summerson and Son, in regard to the Taranaki ironsands. A few weeks previously some 20 tons of Taranaki sand and 20 tons of ore were received from New Zealand by this firm, and. Mr. Massey saw enough to p/ove at least that the sand could, be converted into good pig iron and steel by means of the electric furnace. Mr. F. W. Harbord. one of the greatest authorities on steel, had been appointed by the New Zealand Government to watch the experiments, which lasted, for some 10 days (during which exhaustive tests were made), and to make out a report in due course. This report has now been received by the High Commissioner, who is to have a consultation with Mr. Harbord before sending it on to the New Zealand Government. Naturally, it is of a highly technical nature. That good pig Iron and steel can be made had already been proved, and doubtless the report will go into details as to the quality. The more important question is the economic one —whether cheap enough electricity may be obtained in the first place for smelting purposes, and when the iron or file steel has been manufactured, whether there will be a market to absorb it. Messrs. Summerson and Son are forwarding to the New Zealand Office a number of articles, which have been made from the iron and steel produced, and these will first be displayed in the window of the office in the Strand.