CANADA'S OPPORTUNITY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10137, 7 November 1910, Page 6

CANADA'S OPPORTUNITY.

MANUFACTURE OF NITRATES. A HINT TO SIR JOSEPH WARD. The recently isued report of the Canadian Department of Mines contains a pica for the prosecution and development of the nitrates industry. The report says, inter alia: — "Canada imported only £139,300 worth of nitrate of soda in 1908; whereas the United States imports about £3,000,000 worth of Chilian nitrates annually to refcrtilizo her exhausted agricultural lands. The reason for the comparative smallness of Canada's import trade in nitrates is explained by the fact that the prairie lands of the Dominion are covered with' rich virgin soil, hence do not need replenishing with artificial fertilizers to any serious extent. In a few years, however the law of diminishing returns will apply to Canada as seriously as it does to the United States. When that time arrives, nitrates will be greatly in demand in the agricultural regions of tiiis country. The far-seeing nations of North-western Europe are evidently preparing for a large export trade in artificial fertilizers, as the forgoing extracts from the British consular report shows. Perceiving that the guano beds in Peru and saltpetre beds of Chili are rapidly approaching exhaustion, they are straining every nerve to establish an immense nitrates industry. But seeing that this country is almost prodigally furnished by Nature with water powers, from which electric energy can be developed at reasonable rates, there is no reason why a flourishing industry in the manufacture of air nitrates should not bo established for supplying not only our own home market, but also the markets of the United States and the Orient," Another statement made in the report is that the extraordinary rapidity with which electric furnaces for the production of steel have been developed and perfected since the-pub-lication of the report of the commission appointed by the Dominion Government to investigate the electrothermic processes in Europe in 1904, will be appreciated when it is stated that only four electric furnaces of comparatively small capacity were then in existence in Europe; whereas in 1908—four years later—there were fourty-six .in operation, and thirtyone under construction.