AUSTRALIA'S IRON INDUSTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 253, 24 October 1919, Page 10

AUSTRALIA'S IRON INDUSTRY.

NEWCASTLE STEEL WORKS. SUPPLYING THE LOCAL MARKET.j i No country can be economically indc-' ; pendent without iron. From the point ' of view of economic strength and de- ' velopment it is one of the most precious : of all metals. There is not an industry ; in which it does not play a part, and the ' country that is the possessor of rich iron ' deposits and the works to make use of > them, is in a fair way to become a ' j country of importance. True, a country ' j that has no iron can purchase it from '• ] the countries that have, but this must 1 inevitably place the country that has to : buy more or less at the mercy of the ; country that has the commodity to sell. ' Australia during recent years has made j big strides in the development of the ' , iron nnd steel industry. The opening ' jof the Newcastle Steel Works by the I j Broken Hill Proprietary Co., Ltd., might ' almost be called an epoch in the develop- ' ment of this .all-important industry. The ' iron deposits which are being developed by this company are ol" exceptional rich- ' ness, so much so that 1.5 tons of stone ' will produce a ton of pig iron, while it f takes about two tons of stone and up- I wards of the deposits from other coun- \ tries to make a ton of "pig." This is ' an important factor, as it means a big saving in coal and flux. Details of the ' Newcastle Steel Works are given in an 1 illustrated souvenir issued by the company at the time of their opening. The ' works are complete in every essential, ' and as time passes should develop to an ' extent that will put them on a par with ' [ some of the largest works in the world. ] Apart from markets abroad, there is a ; big local market for steel. The crying i need of the country, for instance, is rail- ] ways, which will lead to the development of the huge tracts of rich and fertile lands now lying idle. Steel rails have been imported at the rate of about 150,000 tons per annum. A large, proportion of this quantity can now be made by the local works. Galvanised iron is also in continual demand, and this, too can be manufactured on the premises, so to speak. Wire, steel gir- c ders for bridges and buildings, steel pipes t and tubes, and a hundred and one other things can be manufactured, and v/ith f the passing of time Australia will be less and less dependent on other coun-1 j tries for these things. The industry is ' • the alpha and omega of the industrial j world, and is of national importance. , Messrs. Russell and Somers, of Auckland, are the local agents for the company.