SERPENTINE AT MOSSBURN

Southland Times, Issue 25482, 30 September 1944, Page 4

SERPENTINE AT MOSSBURN

PLANS TO EXPLOIT DEPOSITS

“Plans are under consideration for the large-scale exploitation of the serpentine deposits at Mossburn,” said Mr G. H. Holford, B.Sc. (Agric.), inspector of fertilizers, in an interview yesterday. In company with Mr R. W. Willett, Government geologist, Mr Holford made an inspection of the deposits on Thursday. Mr Holford said that the indications were that there were hundreds of thousands of tons of serpentine in the deposits. A question that was being investigated was whether the serpentine should be processed at the superphosphate works or on the spot at Mossbum. One proposal was that central manure-mixing plants should be established at Gore and near Invercargill. It was now known that high-grade ser-pentine-super could be made outside the superphosphate works. It was suggested that it could be made at mixing plants in Southland and other ingredients added. If this were done production costs would be lower and there would be a big saving in rail transport. SOUTHLAND HANDICAPPED “Southland has always been handicapped by not having a phosphate processing plant in the province,” said Mr Holford. “It is proposed that this position should be remedied when sufficient phosphate is available to justify the erection of a plant here. Interest has been aroused in the United States in a process by which phosphatic fertilizer can be made without the use of sulphuric acid, which is necessary for super.” Mr Holford said that the Southland Primary Production Council had suggested that at least 50 per cent, of the phosphate made should be in the form of serpentine-super. During the past two years, of every 100 tons of phosphatic fertilizer made available to farmers, only half a ton had been ser-pentine-super. In spite of this a number of farmers had used it successfully, and the indications were that it would prove a thoroughly satisfactory fertilizer for Southland. Unlike super or limereverted super, serpentine-super contained magnesia and cobalt, two elements known to be lacking in many Southland soils. Mr Holford said he thought that Southland soil conditions would respond well to modem phosphatic fertilizers that were not known before the war.