SHORTAGE OF PIG IRON.

Otago Witness, Issue 3309, 15 August 1917, Page 23

SHORTAGE OF PIG IRON.

WELLINGTON, August 10. The iron trade of New Zealand is threatened with trouble in the form of a shortage, of pig iron owing to the closing down of certain sources of supplies from overseas. Normally, most of the pig iron used by the foundries in New Zealand camo from the Old Country, but the urgent need of tlic full output at Home for war purposes closed up that source of supply some timo 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 have been left lamenting. It is hopelcs? to expect any supplies from America owing to the war engagements of that country, =o that exactly where supplies are to' come from for New Zealand in tho future is not known by those in the trade at 'tho present time. The need is so urgent that the country is being combed for scrap iron of any kind, and prices are being obtained that would havo been deemed ridiculous a few years ago. One local foundry recently paid as much as £7 10s per ton for some high-grade scrap iron, and for lower grade scrap iron from £3 10s to £4 10s is being paid in tho meantime. The local ironmasters have approached the Minister of Munitions (the Hon. A. Myers) to see if the embargo on Australian pig iron cannot be lifted as far as the dominion is concerned. The Australian article is of fair quality, but too close-grained to allow of the intermixture of much scrap, in which regard the Indian "pi?" is much better. As the industry now stands any pig iron would be welcomed by the trade.