ACTION TAKEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1940, Page 7

ACTION TAKEN

I TO MAINTAIN THE SUPPLY OF PHOSPHATES FOLLOWING ON ATTACK ON NAURU. REASSURING STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, December 29. “The damage to the plant at Nauru Island is a grevious loss, but I can say that we have already begun to take steps to deal with the situation,” said Sir Albert Ellis, New Zealand member of the British Phosphate Commission, in an interview. “At present, of course, it is possible to speak only in general terms, but I am in close touch with the central offices of the commission in Melbourne, and I hope to make more specific information available before long." In anticipation of war risks, Sir Albert continued, additional stocks of rock phosphate had been built up in New Zealand since about the beginning of the present year. Material had been stored in varying quantities in the the open at various fertiliser works and had been drawn upon simultaneously with indoor stocks. The use to be made of these extra stocks in the present emergency was naturally bound up with what the commission would do to make up for the reduction in output from Nauru. "There is no need for farmers to ‘get the wind up,” he added. "This' is just a difficulty to be overcome, and we are going to use every available means to overcome it. We are already in touch with other sources of supply.” Sr Albert went on to say that at the time of the raider's attack there was a stock of about 60,000 tons of crushed and dried rock phosphate on Nauru. While it was impossible to be definite at this stage, he felt certain that means of shipping it would be found .though the process would necessarily be slow in comparison with the loading from the cantilever. He recalled that some years ago, when all demands could not be met from Nauru Nauru and Ocean Islands, the'eommissoin had purchased supplies from Makatea and Christmas Island in the Pacific and from Florida and Morocco.

So far as repairs to the Nauru plant were concerned, Sir Albert said the magnitude of the task had yet to be assessed. However, the commission had on its staff men with a wealth of special experience- that would be of the highest value. They had been tackling the greatest possible difficulties, including those of pioneering, for many years past, and he was sure they would rise to this occasion.