panese Nickel

Interests In Indonesia?

From a Correspondent

Noumea

article reprinted here from sian newspaper has caused amongst nickel producers.

DRDING to the article, the panese are soon- to start im nickel ore from Celebes in da. These importations will in part the nickel ore now d in New Caledonia. The ;e refineries will submit a pro i to the Indonesian Govern s follows: in to advance five million ars to get the mines produc luction of the mines (at ent 3,000 tons) to be ex- Jed to 10,000 tons and ulti ely 40,000 tons per month, richest mineral will be ex ed directly to Japan. The rer minerals will be utilised ndonesia. i this comes about, it will do t amount of harm to New lia’s economy, which is based on nickel production. Stop f exports to Japan from here greatly diminish the present and ultimately cause a de i locally. ipan can procure richer and ■ ore from Indonesia it will that Japanese refined nickel come even more competitive world market where New lian nickel is just holding its Japanese firm of Banno and ay, widely represented in the Seas before the war and par y active in Fiji in the last few has recently established a de ent company in P-NG. neers have taken particular in n the yet unworked iron ore s of Woodlark Island, eastern and also have looked at black eposits on Bougainville.

Australian BHP company was ed in the Woodlark deposits years ago but their investiga ame to nothing. However, at ne iron ore could not be ex and restrictions on Australian were lifted only a few ago.