MINERALS OF THE PACIFIC LITTORAL. 



405 



New ZEALA^"D has a good many occurrences of iron ore. The most 

 promising appears to be a brown hematite at Parapara. An attempt 

 was made last year to float a company to work this deposit and to 

 build a light railway, but was unsuccessful. 



In Australia the chief use to which iron ores have hitherto been 

 applied is for fluxing copper and other ores. In 1905 and 1906, the 

 production is officially given thus : — 



South Australia — Flux ... 



Queensland „ 



Tasmania „ 



New Southi Wales ,, 



New South Wales, Oxide exported 



Victoria and Western Australia... 



The iron manufactured in Australia nmst have been made chiefly 

 -from imported raw material She imported, in 1906-7, in the form of 

 pig, ingots, slab, bloom, and scrap iron : — 



Granting that the whole of this raw material was manufactured in 

 Australia (with an inevitable loss in amount), it comes far short of her 

 requirements. Consequently, she imported, in the form of manu- 

 factured iron and steel : — 



The Commonwealth's imports of railway iron (under the head of 

 Rails, Fish Plates, Fish Bolts, Tie Plates, Switches, Points, Crossings 



