NAURU AND OCEAN ISLANDS PHOSPHATE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1, 20 January 1928, Page 28

NAURU AND OCEAN ISLANDS PHOSPHATE.

THE INDUSTRY AND ITS FUTURE

Albert F. Ellis,

C.M.G., New Zealand Commissioner, British Phosphate Commission.

The steadily increasing exports of dairy and other agricultural and pastoral produce from New Zealand, with the consequent drain on the phosphate contents of our soils, is a subject which calls for careful consideration. We are in effect sending overseas each year thousands of tons of, phosphoric, acid, probably the most necessary constituent of soils in general, and one in which they are naturally low in most localities throughout this country. Not only must this phosphoric acid be replaced, but our ‘ reverted ” lands call for pressing attention, the large areas of second- and third-class lands have to be brought into productivity, the policy of closer settlement and therefore more intensive farming has to be further developed, and our large areas of sheep - country must be top-dressed. This all points to an everincreasing demand for phosphates. A few years - ago the fact that New Zealand was not taking the quota provided for in the Nauru Agreement occasioned considerable concern, and the British Phosphate Commissioners had to seek outside markets to absorb the surplus production from Nauru and Ocean Islands. But the position is very different now, and the difficulty to be faced is how to cope with the ever-increasing demands of our Dominion and Australia.

During the last few years the consumption of high-grade phosphate in New Zealand has shown a progressive annual increase of well over io - per cent. If this percentage of progressive increase continues and from all appearances it will—the quantities which will be required m a few years run into very big figures. In Australia the rate of increase has also been rapid, and is expected to continue; in Western Australia it has gone ahead by leaps and bounds. There .is reason to think that in a few years the two countries will be requiring over a million tons of high-grade phosphate per annum. Already their requirements have exceeded the capacity of Nauru and Ocean Islands, and the question may well be asked as to the reason for this, seeing that the deposits there consist of about a hundred million tons. • The actual position may be illustrated by imagining a number of thirsty individuals crowding round a large glass demijohn fitted with a very small mouth and containing water or perhaps something stronger. They want the liquid much faster than it can be poured out, but they have to be careful or the demijohn will get broken and its precious contents be lost.

Nauru and Ocean Islands, by reason of their very isolated and exposed position—without harbours or even anchorages, and subject at times to -prolonged spells of bad weather —necessarily have their limitations.. It is one thing to develop and carry on a great industry on the mainland, but quite a different matter to do it on two lonely islands in the centre of the Pacific, where problems have to be faced peculiar to the locality and the existing conditions. To unduly

augment the number of vessels arriving there, or to largely increase the labour force before such increase could be suitably employed, would speedily cause complications, bringing about results the opposite of what are desired. ' .

At the present ’ time the capacity of the two islands is about 550,000 tons per anijum— last year the 600,000-tpn mark was almost reached —an equivalent of nearly one hundred large steamer cargoes. Particularly fine weather was experienced throughout • last year, and there was a minimum of labour and other difficulties. For the previous year, when, adverse conditions were encountered, the output was nearly 200,000 tons less, affording good . evidence as to how the industry is affected by circumstances beyond human control. The policy now being pursued by the Commissioners, with the full knowledge • and approval of the three partner s- Governments, is to extend the shipping arrangements at both-islands, introducing mechanical handling as far as possible, and also to develop the other plant to keep pace with the improved shipping facilities.

At Nauru a cantilever suited to the special conditions prevailing there is to be erected ; it is anticipated that by means of a system of rubber - belt conveyors, which will take the phosphate from the shore bin to the end of the cantilever and discharge direct into the vessel's hold, it will be possible to load a 6,000-ton steamer in a day. This necessitates a great deal of plant development in the way of storage bins, artificial driers, cableways, Diesel engines for supplying power, tram-line extensions, further housing accommodation for the largely increased number of labourers, and so forth. A considerable number of men are now engaged on the preliminary work in connection with the cantilever, but two to three years’ time will be required before the plant is ready for use.

At Ocean Island an improved steel jetty of the existing type is being installed, and the storage, drying, and other production plant is to be correspondingly increased. To do all this development work on the two islands, and at the same time maintain intensive shipments, constitutes a very busy programme.

During the next three years New Zealand and Australia between them will require, 100,000 to 200,000 tons more phosphate annually than Nauru and Ocean Islands can supply, and this deficit is being purchased by the Commissioners, on behalf of the manufacturers in the two countries, from the French island of Makatea, near Tahiti, ■ and also from Morocco. The huge deposits in the latter country have been coming into increasing. prominence during the last few years. Though the quality. of these two phosphates is lower and the price is higher than that of Nauru and Ocean Islands, the much larger proportion used from the two latter evens up the business without materially affecting the price or the quality of the whole. The fact that the manufacturers have been able to maintain the high standard of the prepared fertilizers is very satisfactory ; in a country where transport and handling expenses are heavy, ■. material economy is effected by dealing with a highly concentrated article. In addition to purchasing these outside phosphates —which is being done for some years aheadthe Commissioners are endeavouring, and with some degree of success, to obtain options over further quantities, to be

exercised in the event of weather or other circumstances beyond control materially affecting the output from Nauru and Ocean Islands.

In all probability the benefit from the new plant installations at Nauru and Ocean Islands will be felt within two or three years, and ultimately it is hoped to work the output from there up to a million tons per annum under ordinary favourable conditions. In view of the natural difficulties to be encountered this objective must be considered a high one, and it may be mentioned that in the early days of the . phosphate industry in the Pacific the objective set by the principal company then operating was 10,000 tons per annum, but even that figure was never reached.

The accompanying table sets out the shipments to Australia and New Zealand since the business came under Government ownership, and the rapid annual increases for the Dominion will be noted. Our manufacturers’ requisitions for the current year are nearly 180,000 tons ; and for 1928-29 there is another large increase, the quantity requisitioned being about 230,000 tons.

The approximate distribution of the last-named quantity is of interest. About 140,000 tons are requisitioned for Auckland, and about 25,000 tons each to New Plymouth, Wanganui, and Lyttelton, tapering down to a comparatively small requisition for farther south. The southern farmers consider this is evidence as to where the good land is situated, but their northern friends hold it is proof as to where the good farmers are !.

Opossums and the Forest.— The generally held opinion that the opossum does little or no damage to the native bush is supported by the investigations recently made on beech forests for the Forestry Department by Dr. L. Cockayne, F.R.S., who has a comprehensive knowledge of the forests before and after the introduction of the opossum.

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Shipments of Phosphate by British Phosphate Commission to Australia and New Zealand since Business came under Government Ownership.