PHOSPHATE SUPPLY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 133, 8 June 1942, Page 6

PHOSPHATE SUPPLY

VALUE TO NEW ZEALAND ROTARY CLUB ADDRESS The value of phosphate was stressed by Sir Albert Eliis, who was the speaker at the Auckland Rotary Club's luncheon at Milne and Chovce's Reception Hall to-day. Sir Albert said the industry had been greatly affected by war conditions, but since the war there had been a large amount brought to New Zealand. Phosphate was generally connected with agriculture, but it had a much wider application. Sir Albert added that in 1842 the discovery was made by an Englishman that certain rocks contained phosphate; a wide search began, and now there was no lack of supplies, which were necessary under modern methods of agriculture. There had been a great increase in production, and there was reason to believe that there would be further expansion. Everything, animal or vegetable, required phosphate. Both New Zealand and Australia were deficient in the constituent.

Sir Albert considered that one lesson of the present war was that New Zealand and Australia would have to have increased population and increased settlement, and nothing would be more important than cheao phosphate, so that secondclass land could be improved. Greater development would solve many of New Zealand's problems.

After mentioning Nauru and Ocean Islands, Sir Albert referred to other deposits in the world, and said there was also phosphate of a low grade in Otago.