ATOMIC ENERGY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 47, 5 December 1945, Page 4

ATOMIC ENERGY

CONTROL IN DOMINION BILL INTRODUCED IN HOUSE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 4. Government control of uranium and thorium, from which materials suitable to use in atomic bombs are derived, is provided for in the Atomic Energy Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. The Bill falls into two parts, the first dealing with mining and the concentration of uranium ores and the vesting of such substances in the Crown, and the second with the use of uranium and materials derived from it in the production of atomic energy. The first part of the Bill is to be administered by the Minister of Mines and the second part, which also makes provision for research work to be carried out in New Zealand, by the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Bill is described in the short title as a measure “to make provision for the control in NeAV Zealand of the means of producing atomic energy, and for that purpose to provide for control of the mining and treatment of the ores of uranium and other elements which may be used for the production of atomic energy, and to provide for the vesting of such substances in. the CroAvn.” Uranium includes thorium, and all natural substances, chemical compounds, and physical combinations of uranium or thorium, including the minerals uranothorite, monazite, thorite, titanite, and hyacinth. It is stated that these minerals have already been isolated in New Zealand. All discoveries of uranium or thorium are to be notified to the Mines Department, and the Minister of Mines may make appropriate awards in respect of such discoveries. Production of Uranium It is anticipated that uranium will, in New Zealand, be produced in general as a by-product of the production of gold, and the Bill provides for compulsory notification, where necessary, of methods of treatment with a vieAv to the recovery of uranium. Uranium recovered in this Avay shall be the property of the Ctoavii and shall lie paid for at the rates Avhicli may be determined on the basis of the costs of modifications or processing necessary, and on the stability of the concentrates for further chemical purification.

The importation of uranium is pro■hibited without the written consent of the Minister, and unmined uranium in New Zealand and its dependencies shall be deemed to be the property of the Crown. No compensation shall be payable in respect of uradium contained in any land acquired'under the Public Works Act. The Minister is authorised to mine uranium on behalf of the Crown as a public work. No person without the consent of the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research is to import or to have in his possession or control any fissionable substance from which atomic energy may be produced, and the same restriction is imposed in respect of atomic energy apparatus and machinery, and materials such as heavy water, which may be considered essential for the operation of atomic energy machines. University colleges and post-primary schools may hold uranium and make experiments for research and instruction, but .the amount that post-primary schools may possess is limited to lib each of uranium and of thorium, calculated by the metal content, and 201bs each in any other case but the Minister is given power to reduce or increase these amounts. Provision for Experiments University colleges and State-con-trolled laboratories are permitted to construct atomic energy apparatus to an extent which will not endanger the public safety, and yet provide ample facilities for experimentation and the use of such products of such apparatus for researches in pure science, agriculture, or medicine. Restrictions are imposed on trading in fissionable substances, and the Minister of Mines may authorise persons to enter on land to carry out geophysical surveys for the detection of uranium. It is an offence punishable by a fine of £SO, or by imprisonment up to three months for wilfully obstructing any person acting under such authority.

There are clauses dealing with the granting of consents, which may be conditional, or revoked or varied by the Minister, the serving of notices and the making of regulations. Infringement of the. provisions of the Bill is punishable by a fine not exceeding £IOOO, or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both. A brief explanation of the Bill was given by tiie Acting-Minister of Mines (tiie Hon. J. O’Brien) in reply to an inquiry by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland). Referring to ihe second part of the Bill, the Minister said that as atomic energy was destined to play such an important part, it was necessary that students should 17e -able to obtain instruction in its use.