NAURU PHOSPHATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18335, 27 February 1923, Page 5

NAURU PHOSPHATE.

■ ■, • IMPROVED LOADING METHODS VALUE TO NEW ZEALAND.: SUPPLIES FOR POO YEARS. An interesting address on Nauru Island and its wonderful deposit of phosphate ■was given at the Rotary Club yesterday 1 by Mr. A. F. Ellis. The chair was oc- ' cupied by Mr. C. Rhodes, president of the " club. '• •''' ■ The island of Nauru, known also as ] Pleasant Island, said M-r. Ellis, lies • nearly due north from New Zealand, within a degree of the Equator, and : about 2300 miles from Auckland. ' Its 1 rich phosphate deposits make it important from the New Zealand point of view. The island was about 11 miles in circumference, and roughly about three times the size of Rangitoto. The various settlements and native villages were scattered round a narrow coastal belt about 50yds. to 200 yds. wide. Back from the sandy ea the land rose to about 200 ft.. and that area was the phosphate country, and more or less covvered with nativts bush. Where there was no phosphate -there were cocoanuts, and where there was phosphate there were practically no cocoanuts. " Strange contrasts of the picturesque and the utilitarian are found in a motorcar tour of the island," said Mr. Ellis. Charming glimpses of native life, luxuriant tropical vegetation, and the dazzling coral beach are on one hand, and on the other are the evidences of a busy industry vessels at the moorings loading .phosphate, electric locomotives running along with cakes of phosphate trucks, and the . crushing and dry-: ing plants." The climate, he continued. was hot, but certainly ' healthy. The native inhabitants numbered about 1200, and were' of Polynesian origin, of fine physique and very intelligent. Regular manual work, however, did not appeal to them. The Administrator was doing everything possible to lead the natives in the way of industrious habits, and at his request some of the natives had been apprenticed in the island workshops. Labour Principally Chinese. To work the phosphate deposits labourers were brought in from other countries, most of them being Chinese coolies, while Kanakas constituted the remainder. About 80 Chinese artisans assisted the white staff of 70. This heterogenous labour force had proved most suitable for the tropical conditions, and visitors had been impressed with the arrangements made for the men and the way their duties were carried out. • • With .regard to trade, Nauru had not a -large variety of exports, as phosphate and copra comprised its total production.' Before the phosphate was discovered the island was considered quite a good copra proposition, but the phosphate ; industry had, of course, long since. overshadowed the copra production. ' Nauru contained the largest known deposit of high-grade phosphate, and in the fertiliser trade quality was, the main point. Just. what the actual quantity of phosphate was copild not be said, but there was reason to think that deposits contained at least 80,000,000 tons. As regards quality the average shipments, were from 85 to 86 per cent, tricalcic phosphate, and high though that was, gome shafts' recently ■ sunk showed the phenomenal quality of over 89 per. cent. ! Mr. Ellis . stated that the phosphate shipments from Nauru and Ocean Islands last year were 332,626 tons, of which total 51,150 tons came to . New Zealand. The supply was computed, to last for JOO years at an annual output of 500.000 tons per annum. Rapidity ol Loading. Describing the method of loading phosphate at. Nauru, Mr. Ellis said they could ship up to . 2000 tons in a day, working two shifts. They could load it faster in Nauru > than it could be discharged in Auckland. This method of loading was a great strain on their organisation. f They had to employ a lot of. men, and it was- a very expensive way of doing the work. The commissioners were to .erect a cantilever structure, which would be a great boon to the industry. ,By means of that * structure steamers would be aisle to hauj right underneath thfl loading appliances, and lighters would be dispensed with. By • that means the phosphate would be dumped straight into the vessel.' The lighters .now in use were towed by launches, and it would interest them to know that they made, the engines for launches on the island, the casting being done in the workshops.