Popular boss knows his job

Bill Adams, managing director of the Nauru Phosphate Cor poration since it was incor porated in June, 1969, is a popular boss who knows his business from the ground up.

The successful operation of the Nauruan industry since in dependence is largely due to him. His relationships with his staff, and with President De- Roburt of Nauru, who has taken the keenest interest in the health and progress of the corpora tion, are extremely warm.

When Nauru won control of the phosphate just before inde pendence (by the unusual method of actually buying the industry from the colonial gov ernment instead of acquiring it by nationalisation ) it was gen erally predicted that Nauru

would soon ruin it by mis management. But it has never at any time been in trouble, and is run efficiently and profitably despite the fact that about 50 per cent of NPC s income is paid out in various royalties to Nauruan funds, and it is repay ing about $2 million a year to the republic off its purchase price. (It is now close to being paid for.) Bill Adams first went to Nauru in 1945, just at the end of the war, to reconstruct the destroyed works as chief engineer for the British Phosphate Commissioners. After six years he went on to Ocean Island, where he stayed for three years, and then became BPC chief engineer, based in Melbourne, rising to assistant general manager, production, and finally deputy general manager of the Christmas Island development.

The Nauruans brought him back from Melbourne in 1969, where he had been a private consultant, to direct the takeover of the indepen dent Nauruan operation and then to run it.

He and his wife Britta have an adult family, a son who is a PhD in metallurgy and a daughter who is a solicitor.