NEW ZEALAND IRON ORE

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4802, 26 June 1939, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND IRON ORE

RELATIVELY EASILY MADE INTO PIG IRON.

The type of iron ore found in New Zealand was known as limonite, which was relatively easily made into pig iron, said Dr. T. P. Colclough, who is investigating the supplies of iron ore in New Zealand for the Government, in an address in the Dominion Museum Lecture Hall in Wellington. Dr. Colclough spoke on the iron and steel industry in England, and his lecture was illustrated by a film of the steelworks in Corby. Though several questioners endeavoured to draw from Dr. Colclough his views on the possibility of establishing a steel industry in New Zealand he refused to divulge them. Limonite contained from 40 per cent, to 60 per cent, of iron, arcording to its degree of purity, he said.

“As to the possibilities of makingsteel in New Zealand and the processes which would be used. I think I must ask you to exercise your soul in patience a little longer when no doubt the authorities will give the answers to all the questions which you would like to ask,” he continued.

Another questioner asked whetherfurnace linings would have to be imported into New Zealand if the steel industry were established. Fire clay was used for the lining of blast furnaces, replied Dr. Colclough. If anyone knew of a good supply of fireclay or dolomite there would be people in Wellington who would be glad to hear of it. “Have you, in your experience in other parts of the world, had to deal with similar types of iron sand to that in Taranaki?” was another question. His firm knew the Taranaki iron sands, and they were not unique, replied Dr. Colclough. Work on the Taranaki iron sands had been in hand for some time. There were very large similar deposits in Sweden, and his firm had been workingon those for a few years. There were also similar deposits in America which had been used for the manufacture of pig- iron to a limited extent. About 20 years ago, when there was a scare in the United States that the deposits of iron were ending, there were many efforts made to use ore of that kind, and a certain degree of success was attained. There was no doubt that they were well worth studying.