RECORD YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 143, 18 June 1937, Page 4

RECORD YEAR

PHOSPHATE OUTPUT

NAURU AMD OCEAN ISLANDS

(By Tel-graph—Press. Association.)

AUCKLAND, June 17,

The operations of the British Phosphate Commission on Nauru and Ocean Islands have resulted in a record output of more than 1,000,000 tons of phospate in-the year June 30, according to Mr. A. F. Ellis, New Zealand representative on the Board of Commissioners, who returned to Auckland from the islands by the steamer Myrtlebank.

The peak figure of 1,000,000 tons reached during the current year easily exceeds the record of 860,000 tons established last year.

The commissioners and principal offiI cers, including Mr. Clive McPherson, I Australian Commissioner, were present at Nauru arid Ocean Islands during Mr. Ellis's seven? weeks' visit. The equipment on both islands was inspected and several conferences held. Every opportunity for development of the immense fertiliser industry on these two small Pacific islands is being taken by the commission, and the recent installation of a cantilever to load ships at Nauru has greatly increased the out-' put. Evidence of this was given on Monday of last week when the Myrtlebank arrived from Wanganui and loaded 8450 tons of phosphate in one day.

Although some, phosphate is sent to ! Europe and Japan, the great bulk of ! the output from the islands goes to I Australia and New Zealand. The demand in the two. Dominions, stated Mr. Ellis, has increased^"very greatly, and /there is every confidence of a further increase in., the. coming year. The record 'established;',.this year was attributed by the-Cpmrriissioner to improved prices.: for primary products and to a realisation by farmers of the imperative' need for ihe use of fertilisers.