ONAKAKA DEPOSITS

Evening Star, Issue 19843, 17 April 1928, Page 9

ONAKAKA DEPOSITS

MINISTER PREDICTS GREAT FUTURE [Peb United Ppkes Association.] NELSON, April 10. The Minister of Lunds (the Hon. AI). M'Leod) made sonic important comments on the iron industry after a visit to the Onakaka iron and steel works. This and the manulacturc of cement at Tarakoho made up the two important industries of the Golden Bay district, said the Minister. When the country had the necessary material lor the production of iron everything possible should he done to establish the industry. Moreover, many industries depended on a supply of pic iron. It was no use building up an industry that depended on the supply of the raw product if there was a possibility ot the supply being cut oft. A sure source of the supply ot pig iron was necessary in this country, it was disappointing to find a number ot industries that had hud their requests for protection granted buying their iron outside New Zealand. That was not playing the game. “ I was much impressed with the Onakaka. works,” said the Minister. There was an opening for the spending of more capital in providing new machinery and making improvements to the present plant. Many countries would like to have adjacent deposits ot lime and iron as were found at Onakaka. The Onakaka deposits would be a gold mine if they occurred in Australia, and he could not but think that they should be a gold mine in New Zealand.

“i can safely say for Onakaka,” continued Mr M'Leod, “ that that little industry has a great future, both for itself and for this district.”