PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS AT CLARENDON

Southland Times, Issue 24864, 2 October 1942, Page 5

PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS AT CLARENDON

Over-Optimistic Claims (Special) DUNEDIN, October 1. A report published in Christchurch that an: enormously valuable deposit of phosphate, estimated at 109,000,000 tons, had be'ein discovered at Clarendon, 30 miles south of | Dunedin, and attributing to Mr W. J. Poison the statement that it might be worth £.1110,000,000 to tlie country is not supported by/ local experts, who are familiar with the district and with the history of the deposit, which was discovered as long ago as 1902. Tlie deposit was worked by the Ewing PWsphate Company until 1923, when produation ceased because of the inability of thje> company to compete with the higher grhde Nauru phosphate. The company min ed during the whole period of working 1311,000 tons. In the past several reports have been m.Ade on the prospects of exploiting the district for phosphate, and Six Albert Ellis, chairman in New Zealand of the British Phosphate Commission, visited Clarendon to mt Ute a survey of the country. It is repotted that he was not impressed with wljiit he saw. He considered that the phosphate was largely in pockets. As recently as last March Mr J. M. ntempson,' chief engineer to the British Pikjsphate Commission, Melbourne, reported th at a great depth of over-burden, combined wittii the extremely mixed and limited nrlttire of the deposit, made it very unattractive and that only emergency conditions would warrant reopening the workings. If; has been claimed that Clarendon phosph: (.tn can be brought up to commercial stahdards cheaply, and that it can be delivered to Otago and Southland firms at the lc»W price of 30/- a ton. Local experts, however, maintain that the cost of production -would far exceed this figure. It is report tell that on the strength of the Minister’s) Optimism sales of properties are already beirtg made in the district, but all authoritative local opinion suggests that the claims made are greatly on the side of overoptfi trism.