Nickel Industry

[?]pan Aids NC Nickel Industry

because Japan is pre pared to take large quantities of low grade nickel ore —a ie which is unsaleable elsewhere ickel mining is flourishing in j Caledonia. A great many small les, formerly unprofitable, have aened, and new mines are ap ring. [M’s Noumea correspondent says t this not only permits the Her mines to operate, but it ps the richer ore for New Cale ia’s reserves, and, most impor ts helps the local smelters, by ig a richer ore, to compete on world market with Japanese Iters. ne of the most important of the ■grade mines, at Kouaou, has e 50 ten-ton trucks constantly 7 transporting the ore to the it. sTOTHER important mining re port states that the French Government has granted a ign company “personal author ion” for the first time to mine in r Caledonia. he company is the huge Fal bridge Nickel Co. of Ontario, iada. It plans to investigate lit, laterite, and limonite-ser tine mixtures, as the result of

an important processing discovery made recently by the company.

Falconbridge is reported to have solved the problem of processing low-grade complex ores by a roast ing and leaching process. Opera tions are planned in the Plane of Lakes area.

It is not yet known whether the company will establish a smelting plant locally or ship the ore to Canada.