RECORD OUTPUT

Southland Times, Issue 23229, 18 June 1937, Page 8

RECORD OUTPUT

NAURU AND OCEAN ISLANDS OVER A MILLION TONS OF PHOSPHATE (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 17. The operations of the British Phosphate Commission on Nauru and Ocean Islands have resulted in a record output of more than a million tons of phosphate in the year ending June 30. according to Mr A. F. Ellis, the New Zealand representative on the Board of Commissioners, who returned to Auckland from the islands by the steamer Myrtlebank. The peak figure of a million tons reached during the current year easily exceeds the record of 860,000 tons established last year. The commissioners and principal officers, including Mr Clive McPherson, the Australian Commissioner, were present at Nauru and Ocean Islands during Mr Ellis’s seven weeks’ visit. The equipment on both islands was inspected and several conferences held. Every opportunity for the development of the immense fertilizer industry on the two small Pacific islands is being taken by the commission and the recent installation of a cantiliver to load ships at Nauru has greatly increased the output. Evidence of this was given on Monday of last week when the Myrtlebank arrived from Wanganui and loaded 8450 tons of phosphate in one day. Although some phosphate is sent to Europe ana Japan, Hie great bulk of the output from the islands goes to Australia and New Zealand. , _ . . „ “The demand in the two Dominions, stated Mr Ellis, “has increased very greatly, and there is every evidence ot a further increase in the coming year. The record established this year was attributed by the commissioner to the improved prices for primary products and to the realization by farmers of the imperative need for the use of fertilizers. .