IRON DEPOSITS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 24, 23 October 1907, Page 5

IRON DEPOSITS IN NEW ZEALAND.

CAN. ; TEEY BE' PROFITABLY:' T>M\%Z •'•■•- '•',-. ■'.■■"''. r-'LOPED ?■"■■.-■.'■ A /.'■'■■■■ '' ■ '•'• :;'AN : EXPIi!RTSAYS;.' , NO."... : ';'' ; '„' Beforeproccedingwith therorection of costly: machinery for the "development of.aiiindus-i try ina community, tliio woight'must. ,be given to -the, probable demand, for "tho product' of that'.indnstfy,; I.f.thcundertaking has in view, the. supply of'local demand, the sales of tho. product :must show '-a working' profit; '■If.- for: •export,'thcii the cost, of.'-'production plus' freight; charge's must"be such\that, the! parti-.' culnr..commpdityf under■coiisideration'oari be placed in the market on terms iwhich-w'Jl compare' favorably, with competing linos of'the same product. In tho ferric ores of Pani i'arav" and tho iron-sand deposits of Tarauaki, there is r.mple scope■for.tliO'.'deyelopment in i\ T cw .Zealand.jof. the. iron and steel .industry. Tim development^of.such aii industry is extremely costly,' and can. online jiistified. by two' considerations: (a) a demahdfbr the product on. a'scale,which will keep the blast furiiiicoVobu-! stantly going;, (b) o|! filaciiig' ; the ]irodi|ct.-,in J[ie. v 'marl;qt..at. a Vea'soriabjo price. '.;, Ijtjis a siiiiple'jnattor to. show .that' jvc. have cxteifsivp deposits.of the raiv material., Everybody, knows that., But it is : by no merjis so simple to demonstrate whether the time is. opportunp for such a scheme. ; ~' ,' .. An f-xpert's Y.iei^s..!., : ; .■,.....>.:,'""' Sir. HeriYy .Temple, an. expert ongirteer. and, a competent, metallurgical. chemist, s wh6 ; has for, .rtany. years, boon associated with tho iron and, steel. inrlustvy,, , was asked the 'other day' by'a representative ..of.-"The Dominion," what of the commercial a;;prct of, the,development. : of the irpiv.ancl steel inc'.ustry iii Now, Zealand. ■'-.., .~ ; .;' ..,.-.,....'.,'..'. Air. Tcmplq, said that the reports '/winch had;been,received about the character, pf .the Tardnaki iron sand were.such as to'deter.any one from engaging in the risky, busincsr, of developing .them. \ . ~. :.,,.,■ .-,,•' ■: "The iron • sands aro magnetic, are. they, not?";'---. ..-■; ' .- -/■■; .'■--. •■.->-...' "-..'• ■~..' : "Undoubtedly.......-They..arc ,black r.iagiie- : titcs." ; '-. ■' ■■■■■ .. ; .-,-:. ' '.';... '. . ;; ,,' : ,. :|Theii .why can .they.not- be. treatc)d,in. tho, -same .way. as the magnetic iron sands of Nor-' way .and Sweden?!'.suggested-, the reporter. ...'•.■' "Simply, because -the 'Scandinavian-..1r0h.-samis are.bliiclv; ferric ; oxides, comparatively free .froni titanium.. If '.Titanium exists, 'in, large, quantities-iiv iron, process.of smelting bocomes exceedingly difficult,.as tho. titanium causes the'ores to clinker"up the blast furnace. The chemical formule for Ta-r,-.naki iron p.and is Fe3O4..plus TiQ4 l ...nurl lor Scandjnavian iron sands is is'simply.Fo3 04. Scandinayjan.; ironsands. it is..simply..Fc3.:o4. Titaniuni .oxide, has been shown to exist in quantities running up as high as.lo per cent, in the Taraiiaki magnetites', and -this percentage is usually'considered fatal to tho economic spiriting of , the"magnbtiteS."' ;•• .•'.■-'.' "What is your opinion of/'the ironsfono deposits ht-'Para-Para ?" askedlthe reporter. ; "'Welli samples/'of ■ tho Para-Para orb were taken to , England sp'mo time ago, and were very .favourably reported upon.' They proved to be excellent samples of' brown or hemonitb', ; (Fe2O3)''and thero is nothing/inthoir. composition' to; seriously retard '■ their treatment:'•' The percentage-'of phosphorous in 'tliesb 'ores, ! li6iydv6r/- is'slightly-high; 'A , high /pcrceutago '■ of .••■phosphorus 'in tho.'; ore' means thai'.t'lio 'iron■'becomes more''Or'-'lcss- ■ what is .'technically 'knov/h as , 'cold-rottem' Ores'containing-'an excessive percentage of sulphitr,'on"tbe"o'thnr hand, cause'the iron'to become-'hot/rbttcti. , '" ■'■' ; , - - ; ■ : ; "Granted; for tho, sake of argument, that .t^6 'Taranaki '-'magnetites' are 1 not'a commercial prdpositibn,". obs6rved the pressman'; "the question 'would, , of'courso, contro ■ upon the .commercial development of the Para-Para deposits. What 'do y.mr think of this 'as'-'air in- 1 dust-rial - 'proposifio:i?." : •■■ : ' ; ■■■•'•• : m-- : ~...'■' "■ ■■ '"As of course, a' completoi answer. ..woiilil' h'aturally requiro somo knowledge' of .'tho.siti}a,tion .of : the raw material.' Its-proxi-"mity "to- the market is an-important cbhsidcratio'n," replied Mr. Temple. x '•'". '.. Tho Nbiw Zeiland Markot. .; "Wiiaf..'.abput"th'e -Now" Zealand MflrKet? .'..Do'jybu f.hinlrth'at .thbrc I ,.jV sufficient, demand ■for '.'tlie.'- 'product' 'to . warrant' , the erection ofironworks?",'. '' , V •'■''■• ;.-■;■ .;"■'. Mr. Temple , smile'd'. " "Well, , ' m the'''first place," 'said/he, "It would cost, somewlierp ;u hotit: ;tn._ establish a '.'mo'dorn , ' blast-' .ifurndcc',; of,'thc si^o, , a.t f Para-Para. .'A.lttrnacqof.that-si'ze.\vo\iid"eat'up nliout 100 ■tons of dro every 2-4' hours, Iportant,—you mustn't let your blast-furhacb :'go out..or.,.yo}i lvill.i'uin'it, It must bo kept going for 'yours.' Your'- market''would Vcquirc ■from such a furnaccinot only pig-ir,ou but.the, ■■ necessary. ..molten , metal, for .the manufacture of steel bars?'' ' '■' ' "Not'i'rop-bafs?" , 'queried the ;, o "That was V; th'e very -'question •■put-'Viy■■,tho : late 'Mr. Se'd.dpn when he'ehscussed the tioiy , 'with mb ' some : timo -; ago/ replied Mr; Temple, out'to-him theii , 'that whcn:tlio?Americafis began the manufacture of barriron it'-was'iii'the days'- ■ of '-s.t-lio old reverlmt'ory " furiiaSSe. ''■ ■Nowadays very little iroiV-js made. ■ Most of the''molten -metal. east'.into' 'pigs,''either by the Siemcns-Alar-teiis'basic o'pen-h'earth system, or'by the'-JJ.cs-'i .sombr'close'cbnvertor system." ■■■..•■■• : - : - : '■ '■•/■■ •■ "What would it cost to erect th"e necessary.' iplant, rolling-mills, etc. ( for turning out the class of material'which we. requiro here?" 'asked the reporter.', '...'".. ■ ' , r * ■ ; : "It is utterly , ' impqsssiblo to answer. I cortainly do'iiot think it possibleto- crccfcblast.7urnac.es,. steel.-cssting, i planin'g / and rolling;mills:toconinass the class.of goods imported iuto'.this country;' Iu fact'the best indication oil;, the : as to whether it would : bo worth while to dp so, is found in the'volume of imports in. th.at.class bf-goods to .this couni.try.'- Let. us take,' for flic, sake pf.argument;,'■the! Custom's statistics f0r.1905. .'Theya're Wo; ■•years old,' and the volume of "imports ; may have materially increased since then;" in 'fact,' 1 T am sure they'liave. - But tlial would not 'affect the point-.at issue. I will divide the iron and steel industry into five 'distinct propositions. _" . ' "Proposition I—Pig-iron. The imports of pig-iron total .6743.t0n5. Estimating the value per ton at a liberal figure, say, £2' 10s. the total value' crimes' to £16.850. This-means that a:isitinl]--blast -furnace of the kind I have indicated, with.au.output of from 750 to.ICOO f .tons. ,>vcekly ;.would iiot exceed. a. wbrkiiig ; pe--riodpf..'seven weeks. : lt, is unthinkable;'/" '~ '' .; i 'I'rpppsitibn ' ;2.—Steel bars, "including; ■angles aiid.shapes. TJieseam'ou'ntedi tb : i7:,539: itbiis imported .into" the .country, and .would probably.be valued at£7 per ton, pr'.£i22,;:773, would never pay to put-dpwn ■Tolling..mills for tho, rolled joists,, heavy gir-. /ders, and'j,'an'gles, included. hero. ' Taking. the. minimum sizes of merchant bars, from the very smallest.up to,';say,,3 inch:,'-rounds ' 6r ■■' squares,', as being ,the only sizes for, which' there 'is .siifficieiitj demand .to suggest 'the posV sibility. of erecting.niills,- for wo find''tlia&;tho total r quantity .wpiild : , apprbiitnato,,; about 10,000: tons pf ( - metal, or .about, from-fight to. ton, wobks'., work for'• your furhaco!',.. '. ..". ■ ''Proposition'3.-T7Shepts. ..'ln. your Customs statistics,, sheets and plates are .classed'to ,gcthpr.j .the, total quantity being. 4842 ,tons.' •'Wo'jwiir treat'the shects.'only under, this'proposition. 'Estimating, roughly that; about'3,ooo. tons ..of sheets are. represented, this, :.at £9' ■per ton, gives a -.total .of £27,000., Th.q amount of iron.required; for the mamifacture.'of-thosp . sheets. locally, .would, keep .your, blast-furnace. , going'.'for. three'weeks.,:.....' ..■, . ..'.'.. : '''Prpposition,4.rrSt(:el rails.. .'.lt,is difficult to discuss,this : class,pf goods.as a factor iii ( tho. ■ probable cinploynicnt ,of .the; blast-furnace'.. .'Tho'demand, .for. steel; rails.is a .fluctuating quantity., Largw contracts in ',railway works would, .of course,.create a big demand. But unless your;;in.ill,s were, working cpiitinuously. they wouldn't,pay.-.: Steel ; rails must not.Jio. higiilyrpriced-.in ,a-community where-..xiie'np ■irfiilwaysiari'. required.: , •;.• ...■•„,• , . ''-.',.'' > '(Proposition; 5.f-Steel..plates (tank,. l ,sli'ip l " bridge! and boiler quality); -The.asessed value .of imported plates,; about 1800 tons, amounts -tb-i'about £15,300,- reckoning on a lilieral est'ininte.of.;Gß:los..per.,ton.:! I'ora small domand. liko this! iti wouldr:never.; pay: ito put down, 'mills with'' uio: necessary ' plant'.'fori; turpiiig out'. anything .from.3-1.0 of: an inch upwards • and .varying m. length ;from 60 inches to-500 inches. •■". •; ■;■:, ■:! ,■..■ ■ ;■ ■ ■ .-i -. , '.'These figurcsigoito .show that'it, is' impiaoticable.to. treat' for the more expensive ! lines,v,and that, therefore, tho only work which ■could be given .to the blast-furnace would "be.

.under the first three propositions, aggregat-'ing-'in quantity-27,28!! ton's, or about six months' ..work for .the, furnace. •; ! .'A Suggestion, •:: ' ■■■'. - •;:■:-■ " ! : ;: ~', : "Is there npthiug of a practical nature that ■•'■ wo can attempt .at all f , "-asked the pressman.' , "Tho only thing l'can. suggest is that the ' !Governmentj should try a few shipments of ..Para-Para/oretii oithoi; the." English or. Ameri- .. ,c:nn marlietsV '-That is,' of course,'if"the' ore .. call be extracted, at a sumciontly- low price, : and' shipped- to- tho -port of dischargo onv a ": reasonably low;biisis'of: freight." ■■ . .■ .: 1., "Couldn't wo- venture on thb manufacture. [ :and export;:of i .pig-ir'o!\?"-' ' ■. ■', ,-. . '•'You really'■ could not undertake the j shipment of 'pig-Mrohy'because in modern me'J. ,thods of ; iron- ahd \stecl ••manufacture,-tho , ■; 'ins M"is treated -.with' one 'hoat'.' That is,'it \, direct .-.fronV , tile blast-furnace, by -..'trunnion.'hoppers'.'to- the cbnvertors!, and' 3 thence through the Bessemer process, temerg- .. ,inp as barsi'plates-j'e'tc.; If it was made 1 into , .'pigs,' 'tliat'Wpiiilil'ii'occssijjat-o a second heat-' '. ,mg by'tho'm'aftiifactAirerVaTid the ;ost of-pro- , > ductibn would-be , considerably incrcaoecl.- -