Expert Studying Prospects Of Coast Carbide Industry

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29368, 22 November 1960, Page 16

Expert Studying Prospects Of Coast Carbide Industry

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 21. Dr. R. F. Goldstein, an expert on carbide manufacture from British Oxygen, Ltd., a major chemical firm, flew to the West Coast today to study the prospects for the establishment of a calcium carbide industry there. The engineer-in-chief of the Ministry of Works (Mr C. W. O. Turner) accompanied him. Dr Goldstein will return to Wellington on Thursday for talks with the Prime Minister (Mr Nash). He has already discussed the potential project with the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Skin-' per), who has tor long been an advocate for such ar industry on the coast.

In about three months, a sixmonth Government deadline on preliminary calcium carbide industry studies will end and a decision will be made The State is prepared to offer both power concessions and rail freight concessions to any suc-cessfully-established calcium carbide industry. Such an industry was one of the major recommendations in the recently re-

leased supplementary report on the West Coast committee of inquiry.

The most favoured sites are In the Buller Gorge, below Inangahua Junction. Both other possibles sites are as far away as Cape Foulwind, near the cement works.

Other overseas companies are aMo interested. Inquiries recently eame from Japanese industrial interests, and there has been what Government sources last night described as “a nibble” from the International Development Corporation. of the United States. But the Japanese show little eagerness to make local investigations and the Development Corporation is now understood to be more interested in second-stage chemical by-products from the oil refinery to be built near Whangarei.

Low sulphur content coal which, with electricity and low-phosphor-ous limestone, is an essential to the production of calcium carbide. would probably come from deposits at Denniston or Millerton.