MINING OF SULPHUR

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 220, 13 June 1933, Page 7

MINING OF SULPHUR

New Zealand Field Should be Exploited NAPIER MAN CONVINCED . . \ . —— Dominion Special Service. : ■ Napier, June 11. f' In face of expert opinion that only a 'comparatively small .quantity of sulphur probably would- result from 'efforts to win it from the soil near Lake Rotokawa, and that such an undertaking .would be hazardous; Mr. Percy Amner is convinced from his. observations that further ' inquiry is 'warranted. '" ' I He agreed the locality was dangerous, but said he did not consider this circumstance was any reason why .the 'possibilities of procuring large quantities of pure sulphur should not be exploited to its limits. So far as concerned the thermal activity of the area in question, he did not agree with the view that this activ--1 ity was likely to make it almost impossible to recover sulphur, and even granting that operations at Rotokawa might prove dangerous, it was evident that any operations in thermal sectors must be dangerous. Even so, sulphur was recovered In Japan, America, and Sicily, the fields of which, supplied practically all the demands made upon them by the rest of the world.-

; “While admittedly viewing the position from the eyes of a layman, I consider. nevertheless that the possibilities of obtaining sulphur from Rotokawa might be given further consideration,” he said, “especially in view of the fact that buyers of sulphur in New Zealand are obliged to buy from other countries. If mining th£ sulphur in New Zealand might prove dangerous, it cannot surely be more dangerous than the mining in North America, Japan, and Sicily.”

I He added that some thousands of tons' of sulphur were imported into the Dominion every year. It was used chiefly for superphosphates. His company imported 150 tons of sulphur last year, and Mr. Amner said he was optimistic that if an industry were built up at Rotokawa, sulphur could be placed on the market at a lower price than that which he was now paying for the Imported article. In his view the possibilities of developing such an industry within the .bounds of our own coast are so encouraging as to prompt' his making still further investigations in the Rotokawa area. '