DIATOMITE
VAST DEPOSITS FOUND
BRITAIN FREE OF FOREIGN
SUPPLIES
(From The Guardian's London
Correspondent)
LONDON; February 11
A discovery with an important bearing1 on armaments has been made in a desolate valley in the mountainous Hebridean island of Skye. Geologists have found vast deposits of diatomite, a mineral used for the preparatin of certain types of high explosives for which, at the moment, Britain is almost entirely dependent for supplies on Germany and other foreign sources.
In 1930, Britain imported 870 tons of this mineral. Last year, imports had risen to 75,000 tons. The price of first quality diatomite is in the region of £30 per ton.
Until the discovery of the Skye field, Britain, in the event of war, would have been entirely at the mercy of foreign countries for her diatomite supplies. Germany on the other hand, possesses huge stocks.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EG19390303.2.20
Bibliographic details
Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 17, 3 March 1939, Page 4
Word Count
142DIATOMITE Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 17, 3 March 1939, Page 4
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