Rivers

British Aluminium

Still Investigating

Use Of Papua's

Rivers

• A recent news report to the effect that the British Aluminium Company and associated interests might not proceed with the plan to refine bauxite ore by hydro-electric power from Central Papuan rivers, is not based on fact. rpHE original plan—hydro-electric A power developed on the Purari River, and carried overland to refining works, to be built on a new port in the sheltered water between Yule Island and the Papuan coast —is still under investigation and survey.

There appears to be no alterna tive to this method of providing power for the final processing of bauxite from the huge deposits in Cape York Peninsula and Cape Arnhem Land.

There has been a suggestion that the development of power from nu clear fission, within the borders of Australia, could provide the massive power needed for the final process m the production of aluminium.

This, of course, would avoid the need for carrying the ore across Torres Strait for treatment in Papua.

Expert opinion, however, is that many decades will elapse before nu clear power will displace hydro electric power, for a purpose such as aluminium processing.