THE IRON INDUSTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20385, 17 April 1928, Page 6

THE IRON INDUSTRY.

MR A. D. M'LEOD IMPRESSED. VISIT TO ONAKAKA WORKS. (Per United Press Association.) NELSON, April 16. The Minister of Lands (Mr A. D. M'Leod) made some important -;oinmenis on the iron industry after a visit to the Onakaka iron and steel works. This and the manufacture of cement at. Tarakohe made up the two important industries of the Golden Bay district, said the Minister. When the country had the ecessaiy material for the production of iron everything possible should be done to establish the inaustry. Moreover, many industries depended on a supply of pig iron. It was no use building up an industry that depended on the supply of the raw product if there was a possibility of the supply being cut off. A sure source of the supply of pig iron was necessary in this country. It was disappointing to find a number of industries that had had their requests for protection granted buying their iron outside New Zealand. That was not playing the game. •' I was much impressed with the Onakaka works." said the Minister. There was an opening for the spending of moio capital in providing new machinery and making improvements to the present plant. Many countries would like to have adjacent deposits of lime and iron as was found at Onakaka. The Onakiki deposits would be » gold mine of thev occurred in Australia, and he could not but think that t">ev should be a gold mino in New Zealand. " I can safely pay for Onakaka," continued Mr M'Leod,'" that that little industry has a great future, both for itself and for this district*"