J. B. PARKINSON.]

239

1.—12.

ings, 4c. It is contemplated building several places out of the marble rubble—buildings of the bungalow style, as illustrated in the American journals. It is going to cost us more at the present time than it would in concrete or brick; but if we had assistance we would be able to produce rubble marble that would compete with both brick and concrete. The deposit is there; the trouble is to get the marble on the market at the right price. With the assistance we desire we would be able to land the marble at, say, Wellington al a rate that would compete with brick and concrete that is, if you take the cost of maintenance into consideration. If we do not get the assistance we desire, then marble will no doubt have to be regarded in Hie light more or 'less of a luxury; it is not going to be within the reach of the populace. I feel sure if we had the assistance suggested under normal conditions the marble could be supplied to the public at reasonable rates for the purposes I have indicated. To Mr Veitch: During the time we have been running the output has varied from 50 ft. up to about 250 ft. per week. The granting of a bonus would enable us to supply the article cheaper An import duty would not help us. Our shipping freights are heavy: that is a very serious difficulty. The transport charges are very high. I will furnish the Committee with details of these charges. To Mr. Graigie: An estimate of the cost of sawn flocks is about 18s. per cubic foot. We are hoping to be able to provide rubble at about LBs. per ton. There would be 14 cubic feet in that At present our material is 20 per cent, dearer than brick; that is the estimate. Takaka. Harbour at present can only take boats of 6ft. 6 in. draught; if the depth could be made 9 ft. it would be a big assistance to us. We have every confidence that it would pay to have an up-to-date plant. To Mr. Sidey: There is another deposit of marble, and that is owned by the contractors for the new Parliamentary Buildings. That marble is of a different texture to ours. Practically all the marble used for Hie new Parliamentary Buildings has been taken from their quarry. . ~J!° Dr - A - X - Newman: We are at present using our marble for mantelpieces and for inside building purposes. If the harbour at Waiotapu or Takaka were deepened it would be of great assistance to us; and the lessening of the transport charges is a question of the greatest importance, for, as I have said, those charges are very heavy. N. G. G. Winkklmann, Engineer, examined. I was connected with the ironworks at New Plymouth and at Patea, and I have invented a process of smelting ironsand at one operation and producing steel. I have expended about £500 on a small plant capable of dealing with a few pounds of metal. I had the Government expert L»r. Maclaurin, up to examine it. I cannot proceed any further with the process now until I get some assistance of some kind. I have some photographs here of the plant. [Photographs of plant exhibited, and process explained to the Committee.] I have worked out the approximate cost on a basis of making 5 tons of metal in eight hours. My plant will make a non-stop run for twelve months. ' To Dr A X Newman: I have not worked out the price per lon. I have here some samples of the products of my process. [Samrles shown.] tn JV ke C lf rma l\ l haVe Jf" a C ° PV 0f Dr ' Macl aurin's report. [Copy of report submitted to the Committee.] The cost of the plant would not be so much as the cost of a cement-works plant 1 want assistance so that I may be able to demonstrate my process on a larger scale; or. if I were to get £5,000 capita), I ask that the Government should subsidise it pound for pound I have been trying for the last twelve months to get some footing to work out the cost of the ironsand deposit; but the Department wanted to know if a company was going to be formed, and as to the extent of the works I proposed to put up. I was not in a position to give them that informam";J. n* W ?" f ° Ti n a P ° Slt . lo , n t0 f ° rm a com P a "y' l ™nnot get any satisfaction from the Marine Department. They granted me an option for a few months and then cancelled it This ironsand proposition has been a big proposition for a long time. I understand that over £200 000 esenrdK d altSCT tlon *"" "' A " T "t0 ****** £I °-° OO to ? r ™ '*■ l th .1° M r- f mret . : l t bou S ht; the machinery for the Patea company and put it up. I estimate that the plant required for my process would be £10,000. In the event of the Government granting assistance to the industry I would like similar privileges as are at present granted comers for the free carnage of limestone by rail for 100 miles. There is a kind of slag which comes out out is ™,T tJiiv UOt h ?r Slag ' beCaUSe there iS n ° P hoS P' lo ™ acid; but the slag that comes country g fertfllzer ' M >- Process is one of general interest to the Government and to the To Mr. Sidey: I have not produced any iron that has been used by any of the foundries; my plant is a very small one. I cannot produce pig iron. There apparently" is no difference i , the product of the process; but it is not cast iron, I am not in a position to say anytlng about mixing the ironsand with haematite; I have not tried it, ' g ° Ut To Dr. A. K. Newman: A percentage of titanium is good for the steel, but it is no good for cast iron I can supp y the Committee with a small quantity of the material for anaE I Process "1 S?W ' S "^ Bt *** to * he ConmX tha my process be investigated. I Hunk the Government should help me to carry out the experiments. R. H. A. Potter, representing Union Oil, Soap, and Candle Company (Limited), examined handed tolheXwi TK ™ "'T ** ° f handin * ?°" c °P ies of documents handed to the Minister of Customs when a deputation representing the candle-manufacturing £ ; Vell ?f, ton " FebrUar >' aI - a f^heTletter datel the loth June, 1913, The Hon. Mr. Fisher at that stage stated that he could not promise anything,