PHOSPHATES SUPPLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1928, Page 3

PHOSPHATES SUPPLIES

INCREASE IN TONNAGE

(Special to “Star.”)

AUCKLAND, Dec. 6

The operations of the British Phosphate Commission, during the past year, have been very successful, and business has increased steadily, according to Mr. F. Ellis, New Zealand, representative on the Board of Commissioners, who returned from a business trip to Australia, by the Maunganui yesterday.

Mr. Ellis conferred with the Australian Commissioner, Mr. Clive McPherson, in Melbourne. The construction and placing of a loading cantilever at Nauru Island, and the construction of a steel wharf at Ocean Island, would be completed in the new year, and as"* a result, the loading of ships would he greatly facilitated.

“We are concluding a very satisfactory year,” Mr. Ellis stated. “Increased quantities of phosphate are coining to New Zealand and Australia and the demand goes on increasing. Manufacturers are holding larger stocks of raw phosphate than ever before. The quantity brought to the Dominion this year, is in the neighbourhood of 200,000 tons and next year I expect the tonnage will be increased to at least 230,000. Even if the demand increased much more than they anticipated, the supply of phosphates on the two islands would last at least 100 years.”