URANIUM SUPPLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1945, Page 6

URANIUM SUPPLIES

WEST COAST FIELDS MR. O’BRIEN’S REVIEW WELLINGTON, December 5. “There is no doubt that within a year or two of receiving sufficient uranium to carry on, Officers of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department will be harnessing atomic energy here in New Zealand,” said the Acting-Minister of Mines (Mr. O’Brien), moving the second reading of the Atomic Energy Bill in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Minister said extensive prospecting for uranium had already been carried out, and indicated that considerable supplies were available on the West Coast. Prospecting operations were continuing. The Minister .said atomic energy was of such extraordinary importance that.there had been a search for deposits of uranium throughout the world. The largest deposits had been located in. Canada, and were of such importance to Canada that they had been, taken out of the hands of a private company which owned the land near the Great Lakes on which the deposits occurred. Until 1944 no deposits of uranium had been reported in New Zealand, but through the remarkable efforts of Dr. Marsden much preliminary prospecting had been carried out since the importance of uranium as a source of atomic energy was recognised. He was not prepared to say that prospects were so good as to ensure plentiful supplies of uranium or other radio-active ores, but officers of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department had been scouring the country searching for this mineral. The best results to date had been obtained from alluvial gravel and sands, especially on the West Coast. This alluvial gravel and sand had been prospected to a fair extent and uranium had been traced along most of the West Coast of the South Island, particularly in black sands, some of which indicated a very high percentage of uranium. DREDGE TAILINGS. Concentrates in dredge tailings had also been tested, and indicated very fair prospects for uranium. It had been estimated that 8001 b of uranium a year could be recovered from the tailings of one dredge now operating on the West Coast, and there was room for 20 such dredges in the valley where that dredge was now active. If it became essential for us to have uranium, 20 dredges could be set to work there. Incidentally, the dredge now operating in that valley was one of the best paying ones on the West Coast to-day in the recovery of gold. Mr. O’Brien said he did not like to see valleys being destroyed by dredging operations, but this particular valley was already threatened for farming by repeated floods. It should be remembered that land worked over by a dredge was not lost, for future production. It might be no good for farming, but dredge tailings grew excellent timber, and there was power to oblige dredgers to replace the top soil over metal tailings. Mr. O’Brien said that if the demand for uranium became imperative in the future there were possibilities of recovering eight metric tons a year from the particular valley he had mentioned. There were hundreds of other alluvial deposits on the West Coast containing gold and uranium. About 15 dredges were operating to-day, but many others, which had been delayed by the war making it difficult for the companies to obtain machinery, would be going into production before long. There was therefore good promise on the West Coast for the recovery of uranium ore, particularly near Hari Hari and Gillespie’s Beach. AID TO PROSPECTING.

Research officers last year went as far as the Sounds prospecting for uranium, and this year expeditions would probably go as far as Preservation Inlet in further searches. Mr. O’Brien said prospecting had. been aided by a remarkable little instrument, which recorded on a dial about the size of a watchface its reactions to radio-active substances. The greater the deposit the stronger the reaction recorded on the dial. The instrument could even be lowered down a bore hole, and would register as it went down if radio-active deposits were there. This remarkable mechanism had made prospecting much easier. The Minos Department had full charge of the mining of uranium, and could direct any existing mining company regarding the recovery of uranium. The production of atomic energy would be the responsibility-of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Mr. O’Brien said. Last Saturday afternoon he visited a back street laboratory and watched four young scientists at work. They were so intent on their job that they seemed to have no idea that it was Saturday afternoon. Each was in charge of his own machine, and was intent on seeing what he could do with it. Mr. O’Brien said he watched interesting experiments in separating the dry ores of uranium by magnetism. These, same scientists had been associated during the war with the important enterprise of making radar sets. The Minister said that from what, he had seen of the enthusiasm of these men, and the readiness with which they shouldered their packs and went all over the country in the course of their searches for uranium, New Zealand could expect quite a lot from them, and could well be proud of them. Discussing the provision for rewarding discoverers of uranium, Mr. O’Brient said it was almost impossible to say what the extent of the reward would be, but he took it the Government would not be backward in rewarding the discoverer of any important deposit. No discoveries of uranium had been reported in New Zealand before those made by Government officers in 1944. Consequently the Bill provided that landowners would have no right to claim compensation for uranium discovered on their property. Mr. Polson (Opposition, Stratford) said the Bill was desirable. If we had the source of this power in New Zealand it had to be properly controlled and developed.' RESEARCH STUDENTS. The Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research (Mr. Sullivan), said no subject in the world was more important to the life of human beings to-day than that of atomic energy. If atomic energy was misused it could virtually wipe human life off the planet. ‘ The greatest thinkers and scientists were concentrating on this subject, warning us of its potential evil, and urging that it be applied to the advantage, not the destruction, of our race. Mr Sullivan said that the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research had advised him two to two and a half years ago that tactical use of atomic energy was likely to be attained, and that the use of

atomic energy was not improbable before the end of the war with Japan. In view of the knowledge that a great secret task was being worked on, the Department made available some of its capable young scientists to assist in. research work overseas. Mr. McCombs (Government, Lyttelton) said a sufficient quantity of uranium had been discovered in New Zealand to make control of supplies necessary. Mr. Polson, during the third reading of the Bill, raised the question of penalties which could be inflicted on a person convicted of offence against the provisions of the Bill, and said in his opinion a fine of £lOOO or imprisonment for five years, or both was tremendously fierce and savage. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) said there had been prospectors from other countries quietly wandering about the land and they had found quantities of uranium without notifying their discoveries. Luckily they had been traced by officers of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. There might be, said the Prime Minister, but he hoped there would not be, a race for atomic energy, but everyone had to realise what a terrible responsibility it was to find this commodity. It was a very serious matter, and he did not think the penalties were excessive. The Bill was passed. NEW ZEALAND ~PRECAUTIONS WELLINGTON, December 4. Government control of- uranium and thorium, from which materials suitable lor use in atomic bombs are derived, is provided lor in the Atomic Energy Bill, introduced and read a first time in the House of Representatives to-day. The Bill falls into two parts, the first, dealing with the mining and concentration of uranium ores, and the vesting of such substances in the Crown; and Ihe second with the use of uranium and materials derived from it in the production of atomic energy. The first part of the Bill is to be administered by the Minister of Mines, and the second part, which also makes provision for research work to be carried out in New Zealand, by the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Bill is described, in the short title as a measure “to make provision for the control in New Zealand of the means of producing atomic energy, and, for that purpose, to provide for the control of the mining and the treatment of the ores of uranium and other elements which may be used for the production of atomic energy, and to provide for the vesting of such substances in the Crown.” Uranium includes thorium and all of the natural substances, chemical compounds, and physical combinations of uranium, or thorium, including the minerals uranothorite, monazite, thorite, titanite, and hyacinth. It is stated that these minerals have already been isolated in New Zealand. All of the discoveries of uranium or thorium are to be notified to the Mines' Department, and the Minister of Mines may make appropriate awards in respect of such discoveries. It is anticipated that uranium will, in New Zealand, be produced, in general, as a by-product of the production of gold, and the Bill provides for the compulsory notification, where necessary, of the methods oi treatment, with a view to the recovery of uranium. The uranium recovered in this way shall be the property of the Crown, and shall be paid for at rates which may be determined. on the basis of the costs of modifications or processing necessary, and on the stability of Hie concentrates for further chemical purification.

RESTRICTIONS The importation of uranium is prohibited without the written consent of the Minister, and unmined uranium in New Zealand and its dependencies shall be deemed to be the property of the Crown. No compensation shall be payable in respect oi' uranium contained in any land acciuired under the Public Works Act. * No person, without the consent of the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research, is to import, or to have in his possession, or control any fissionable substance from which atomic energy may be produced, and the same restriction is imposed in respect of atomic energy apparatus, and machinery, and materials, such as heavy water, which may be considered essential for the operation of atomic energy machines. University colleges and post-primary schools may hold uranium and make experiments for research and instruction, but the amount that the postprimary schools may possess is limited by one _ pound each of uranium and of thorium, calculated by the metal content; and twenty pounds, each in any other case. But the Minister is given the power to reduce or to increase these amounts. University colleges and State-con-trolled laboratories are permitted to construct atomic energy apparatus to an extent which will not endanger the public safety, and yet will proide ample facilities foi’ experimentation, and for the use of such products of such apparatus for researches in pure science, agriculture, or medicine. Restrictions are imposed on trading in fissionable substances, and the Minister’ of Mines may authorise persons to enter on land to carry out geophysical surveys for the detection ol uranium. It is an offence punishable by a fine of £5O, or to imprisonment up to three months, for wilfully obstructing any person acting under such an authority. There are clauses dealing with the granting of consents, which may be conditional, or revoked, or varied by the Minister; also the serving of notices and the making of regulations. An infringement of provisions of the Bill . is punishable by a fine not exceeding £lOOO, or .to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or to both. A brief explanation of the Bin was given by Mr O’Brien, in. reply to an inquiry by Mr Holland. Referring to the second part of the Bill, the Minister said that, as atomic energy was destined to play such an important part, it was necessary that students should be able to obtain instruction in its use.