ONEKAKA IRON.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10563, 17 April 1928, Page 2

ONEKAKA IRON.

——— ■ MINISTER FORESEES GREAT POSSIBILITIES. (Press Association.) j NELSON, April 10. | The Minister of Lands, the Hon. i A. D. McLeod, made some important j comments on the iron industry after a visit to Onekaka iion and steel j works. This, and the manufacture of j cement at Tarakohe, made up the | two most important industries of the Golden Bay district, he said. When j the country had the necessary material for the production of iron everything possible should Lie done, to establish the industry, and also the many industries dependent on the supply of pig iron. It was no use building up an industry that depended on the supply of raw product if there was a possibility of the supply being cut off. A sure source of supply of pig iron \v*as necessary in this country. It was disappointing to find a number of industries that had had their requests for protection granted buying their iron outside New 1 Zealand. That was not playing the game. “I was very, much impressed with the Onekaka works,” said the Minister. “There was art opening for the spending of more capital in providing new machinery and improvements to the present plant. Many ' countries would like to have adjacent deposits of lime and iron as were found at Onekaka. The Onekaka deposits would be a gold mine if they occurred in Australia, and the Minister could not think but that they should tie a gold mine in New Zealand. “1 can safely say that at Onekaka,” continued Mr McLeod, “that little' industry has a great future, both for itself and for this district.” ■