CEMENT MANUFACTURE

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 113, 13 May 1921, Page 11

CEMENT MANUFACTURE

POSITION OF THE COMPANIES

(»1 TBLEBRAPH.—SPECIAL 10 THE FOBT.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

The position of cement manufacturing companies in New Zealand wits the subject of a statement by a business man who is in close touch with this industry. Ha said that during the whole of 1920 there was a shortage of cement, the principal cause being that the cement works in the Dominion were unable to work at full capacity owing tothe coal shortage. On tho other hand, the demand* was very heavy, for not only were new industries being established, but other industries were oxtending existing plants and buildings, •and, in addition, railway works, harbour works, bridges, etc., were being carried out, and the Government housing scheme was put into operation. In the latter half of last year the Government decided to encourage the importation of cement, and to this end remitted the duty on this commodity. This resulted in much more cement being imported than the cosition warranted, for almost immediately after shipments began to arrive construction works, owing chiefly to financial stringency, were curtailed. It had to be remembered, also, that the imported article cost from £4 to £6 per ton more than the cement manufactured in New Zealand. , In March of. this year the Board of Trade regulations governing the control and distribution of cement were suspended, and the Government decided to reimpose the duty on ' imported \ stocks as from Ist April. This decision was due to the fact that the demand for supplies had fallen off considerably, and also because, owing to a regular supply of coal being available, local companies had not only been able to overtake orders, delivery of which had • been delayed, but were also in a position to cope with the existing demand. The heavy importation of Gement, together with ample local stocks, had resulted in the Golden Bay Cement Company temporarily closing its works at Terakohe. At the present time there were only the Mijburn Lime and Cement Works, arid Wilson's (New Zealand) Portland Cement Works at Portalnd operating in the Dominion. The latter works wore working at full capacity, but the Warkworth plant, also owned by the same company, had now been idle for twelve months.