Phosphate Wealth
p. 67 · Read in the full issue
From Nauru
With more than 3,700 acres of phosphate spread across an island whose whole area is only 5,260 acres, Nauru’s phosphate industry is natur ally a big one. It is the island’s main activity and the reason for the prosperity of the Nauruans.
THE British Phosphate Commis sioners are taking more than 1,500,000 tons of phosphate from Nauru each year, and as far as they can tell at the moment, the life of the deposits is about 30 to 40 years.
The uneven surface of the bedrock underneath the phosphate makes exact estimation difficult.
The photographs on this page were taken by an Australian News and In formation Bureau team who visited Nauru to make a 20-minute film. At top left the MV Triaster loads phosphate directly with the aid of a cantilever. The cantilever is built over the reef and ships are moored to buoys in very deep water at the end of the reef. Top right shows cargo being brought ashore from the Tri aster in steel barges and unloaded at the protected boat harbour. In the centre, phosphate passes from the crushing machine into the drying kilns, and lower photo shows Anibare Bay and beach at Nauru. It affords no protection from the weather.