PHOSPHATE IMPORTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 29 August 1945, Page 4

PHOSPHATE IMPORTS

PROSPECTS FROM NAURU AND OCEAN ISLANDS Auckland, Aug. 28. “We are hopeful that ~ within six months after Nauru and Ocean Islands have been reoccupied we will resume shipments of phosphate, but it will be several Toars before we reach our pre-war hfure of 1.250,000 tons * year.” said Sir Albert Ellis. New Zealand Commissioner on the British Phosphate Commission. Aerial photography had revealed tremendous damage to Nauru Island, but the damage at Ocean Island was not so extreme. The arrangements for all labour nnd machinery were well in hand, continued Albert. A large amount of machinery. including mooriug equipment, railway facilities, and Diesel engines, was stored in Melbourne in preparation for resumed operations. Asked if it would be possible to load ships by means of lighters till the new equipment was installed. Sir Albert said that little would be known about that till the islands were reoccupied and visited by the commission s engineers. The commissioners were fully aware that it was of the greatest importance to New Zealand and Australia to resume shipments at the earliest nossible date, he added. While they had been able to bring in a great deal of uhosphate during the war. its quality had not been as high as that from Ocean and Nauru Islands, and ocean freights had been higher because of the longer distances involved. ✓