SHORTAGE OF PIG IRON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17080, 11 August 1917, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF PIG IRON

SOURCES OF SUPPLY CUT OFF. (From Our Own Cobkespondent.) WELLINGTON, August 10. Tho iron trade of New Zealand is threatened with trouble in tho form of a shortage of pig iron owing to the closing down of certain sources of supplies from overseas. Normally, most of tho pig iron used by the foundries in New Zealand came from tho Old Country, but tho urgent need of the full output at Home for war purposes closed up tha.t source of supply some time ago. Another source of supply was India, which turned out a very fair quality •of ' pig," but that is now unobtainable. Australia was supplying, a restricted quantity up till a few months ago, when the Commonwealth Government placed an embargo on further exportation, and now those firms with contracts havo been left lamenting. It is hopeless to expect any supplies from America owing to tho war engagements of that country, so that exactly where supplies aro to come from for Now Zealand in tho future is not known by thoso in tho trade at the present time. The neod; is so urgent that the country is being oombed for scraj) iron of any kind, and prices are being obtained that would have been deemed ridiculous a few yoars ago. One local foundry recently paid as much as £7 10s per ton for somo high-grade scrap iron, and for lower grade scrap iron from £3 10s to £4 10s is being paid in the mean/jmo. The local ironmasters have approached tho Minister of Munitions (tho Hon. • A. Myers) to see if tho embargo on Australian pig iron cannot bo lifted as far as the dominion is concerned. Tho Australian article is of fair quality, but too close-grained to allow of tho intermixture of much scrap, in which regard tho Indian /'pig" is much better. As tho industry now stands any pig iron would bo welcomed by the trade.