RIGHT TO MAKE ASBESTOS

Southland Times, Issue 24593, 15 November 1941, Page 8

RIGHT TO MAKE ASBESTOS

Licence For Company At Christchurch

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 14. A licence has been granted to a company which will be known as Dominion Asbestos Limited for the erection oi buildings and plant and the manufacturing rights of all types of asbestos products. In a statement today the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister of Industries and Commerce, said this factory would be established in Christchurch. The company had already secured land for the buildings and given an undertaking that it would call tenders within the next two months for the buildings. As the greater portion of the machinery was being built in New Zealand it was expected that the plant would be in operation within five months. “The establishment of this factory in Christchurch,” stated Mr Sullivan, “is following the policy that the Government has advocated—the establishing of New Zealand industries throughout the country. At the present time a very large asbestos factory is operating in Auckland. Christchurch, therefore, offered the natural location for the second unit connected with this industry. Asbestos is urgently required today for all types of buildings connected with the war effort, and as the present unit in Auckland is not capable of coping with the demand, it is therefore of vital necessity in the interests of New Zealand that this industry should be established so as to give the fullest assistance in our war effort.” Mr Sullivan said it was known that New Zealand possessed very valuable deposits of asbestos fibre, but as a very considerable amount of development work was required to be carried out, it was necessary to import at the present time a portion of the raw materials used in the industry, but after the war necessary development work would be carried out so that the industry could become 100 per cent, independent of any imported article.