A SHORT OUTLOOK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 16, 19 January 1940, Page 3

A SHORT OUTLOOK

AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE I.KSS THAN THIRTY YEARS. SYDNEY, Jan. i. I The belief that with the normal exi nansion of the local steel industry i Australia’s economically-worked iron I ore deposits will not last more than 25 I years is substantiated by the comprehensive survey tieinq under .axon by the Commonwealth Geological Adi viser. Dr. W. G. Woolnough. I Important conclusions already drawn I’rom Dr. Woolnough’s work will !be submitted to the Commonwealth Government in an interim report I shortly. Facts supplied already show j that deposits of economically-accc - ! sible ore are so limited as to cau » or. <■ concern for the future of the i Iron and steel industry. i The survey, which will be con--I pleted in June, is being cent c-ttr aled on Yampi Sound (Western Australia!. I Iron Knob (South Australia), and j Northern Tasmania, where it is re- ; ported that deposits of easily-worl cd ; and transported iron ore ere available. Tile Yampi Sound and Tasmanian mI x estimations are being conducted by 1 Dr. Woolnough and those at Iron | Knob by the South Australian Gov- ; ernment. I At Yampi Sound, three tunnels have been driven through the lode and preparations are being made for the construction of two more. A final estimate of the quantity of ore available will be determined from these tunnels. The estimated cost of the survey is £120,000. As a result of the previous survey by Dr. Woolnough, it was revealed that there were only two known groups of iron in Australia which could be economically developed— Yampi Sound and Iron Knob. From these groups more than 200,000,000 tons would be available. The report showed also that there were quantities of ore in Australia, hut because of their inaccessibility they could not be economically developed.