Few people realize how immense is the gain which Australia has made, in ove direction at least, out of the war. As is well-known the supply of phosphates is all-important to wheat-growers. Before their use was understood wheat-growing, especially in South Australia, was threatened with extinction. Fifteen years ago the greater part of the superphosphotes imported came from the United Kingdom. To-day nearly the whole of our requirements come from Nauru and, Ocean Islands, lying in the South Pacific, about 25 and 52 miles, respectively, south of the equator, and about 2,000 miles, from Sydney.
Nauru is the principal source, and is estimated to contain about 100,000,000 tons of the richest rock phosphates in the world. Germany annexed.the island in 1888, though it had been found and named Pleasant Island as far back as 1798 by Captain Fearn of the British ship Hunter. The Pacific Phosphate Company, or its predecessors, 20 years ago had worked out all the various islands, and turned its attention to trading, and Germany allowed it a couple of stations on Nauru. An interesting rock, said ito be petrified wood, was brought to Sydney on one occasion, and was made use of to prop open the door lof the laboratory of the Company. An official, named Mr. A. F. Ellis, was interested in this petrified wood, broke off a chip and tested jit for phosphates. The result led to the Company securing a lease for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.