STATE STEEL WORKS

Grey River Argus, 2 December 1938, Page 4

STATE STEEL WORKS

Not a “Wild Cat” Scheme MR. SEMPLE’S OPTIMISM. TAKAKA, November 29. "I do not want to throw cold water on the scheme, but we do not want to go in for any wildcat ventures. The, prospectors who made the earlyi estimates did not know what they] were talking about. They: were just crude' and rough guesses.” These phrases were used by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple .to-day at Collingwood in reference to the proposed State Steel Works at Onekaka. He was replying to a deputation which waited on him from the Collingwood County Council, asking him to consider the construction of a beach road from Parapara to Collingwood. Mr. Semple replied that the council would have to wait until the Government had decided what it was going to do with Onekaka. Untjl then nothing could be done.

“The construction of - this road is tied up with the development, of Onekaka,” he said, after the county chairman (Mr, N. J. Doogan) had explained the county’s desire to have a beach road constructed. . - “It is wrapped up in the major scheme and we cannot decide, on anything until we know the lay-out. It may be futile. I “I do not want to leave the “ini-' pression that I am not optimistic, but no business man will buy a -business] without a balance sheet unless, of, course, he wants to go bankrupt. We| have to look into the balance sheet ofi Nature at Onekaka to • see v)hfft it holds in store for us. I “The construction of 'the road is all wrapped up in the fact that the deposits will warrant a real scheme,” Mr. Semple went on ■ to .‘say that he was optimistic that' ' the scheme! would start. The ultimate results of the testing would be known soon now. “Anyway it is sure that there are not the millions of millions and quantities of billions of tons .of ore that the early estimates showed/’ he concluded. ;