BONUS FOR IRON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8814, 1 March 1892, Page 3

BONUS FOR IRON.

TO THE EDITOR. ! Sir, —I see that a bonus is offered for the production of 500 tons of pig iron to be made either from ironsaud or iron ore, all materials used in its production to be found in the colouy of Mew Zealand. Such an announcement on being read by any person unacquainted with past trials of the ironsand would seem all right, but it would have been more to the point and much better if the use of the ironsand had been omitted, or in place of stating pig iron simply given iron. It is a well-known fact that all iron which is produced from ironstone or ore in the blast furnauce is pig iron, i.e., castiron. Hither to all the trials to produce pig iron from the sand have been failures, as only a very small percentage of iron has ever been got by such trials, and the amount which has been obtained is malleable iron and not pig iron. Therefore, the bonus offered is virtually for the production of pig iron to bo made from the iron ore, and can in no wise embrce the iron sand. Such beinj? the case, the question arises as to which is the best place for the production of pig iron, and we find from past experience that the nearer the furnace is placed to its supplies of coal, ironstone, and limestone, the more chance it has of paying; therefore, the Collingwood district of Nelson or some similar locality is best suited for cheapness and quality combined. When such is the case, the idea of utilising the ironsand is virtually shelved, owing probably to the advice received upon the subject being erroneous, therefore it is the duty of the members of Auckland and Taranaki to obtain a bonus for working the ironsand, not into pig iron, but to malleable iron direct, and those who are acquainted with the manufacture of iron will recognise the great saving in manufacture as well as in mining for the ore and limestone. Making pig iron from the ironstone is an established fact in New Zealand as well as all over the world. Several hundred tons are now stacked at the Oneliunga works, which have been made there; but. as the works were started with the intention to utilise the irousand, for

which they were well located, it is not likely they could compete with works to make pig iron which are situated close to their minerals. Therefore, if ironsand is used successfully, they should pay; if not, Onehunpa is not the place for them. The sand will produce a quality of iron superior to pig, and also dispense with the blastfurnace. -I am, &c., G. R. Fellows. Onehunga.