NITROGEN FROM AIR.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 July 1918, Page 6

NITROGEN FROM AIR.

POSSIBILITIES IN NEW ZEAL ANT Dealing with the subject of obtain, ing nitrogen from air, Mr. J Orchiaton, at the Council of Agriculture Conference at Wellington 01 Thursday last, made the following, interesting reference to possibilities ii: this country. ■‘Although there are four different methods of obtaining nitrogetik#on; the-air, only one of these systems the direct arc process as carried on in Norway, is likely to be a success in New Zealand. i'Tom a power point of view this system is the.least efficient, but it has the merit of simplicity, and the work is largely automatic, involving the minimum of labour. In the Western Sounds ox Otago there is abundance of waterpower waiting to be utilised, with the great advantage that Nature has so placed these powers that they can be cheaply harnessed alongside ’ firstclass deep-water harbours. Such being the case it would bo better business to sacrifice some cheap power, • and Save labour and capital. The Norwegians have made a huge success of the enterprise in spite of the fact that their principal factories are located 86 miles inland. The nitrates produced at the Rjukanfosi factories have to be first railed ninemiles, then transferred to ferry steamers, for 20 miles, and again railed another '2O miles, finally conX veyed miles by flat-bot-tomed steamers to the port of SkienIt will be observed that eight different handlings are thus involved, apart from the rail ■ and steamer charges, whereas at Milford Sound cur factory would be located tlueo hundred yards Worn the wharf. Vou are no doubt aware that a. syndicate was fermed in Dunedin over twelve months ago for the purpose of promoting the manufacture of calcium, nitrate and other electrical electrochemical productions. So far _ the Government, through the Mmntei for Public Works, has refused to grant the use of the wa-tei -pow ei asked for, although it is less than one and a half per cent, of the power going to waste in that region. It was first asserted that we were only acting for an American syndicate, and when this was denied the Minister said the power was too valuable to give away to any private company, so the waste’ goes on. banners and market gardeners will therefore have to wait so many years longer for this all-cswutial plant food, which could be produced at their own door, so to speak, instead of having to send to Chili for a dearer and less efficient fertiliser.”