THE FERTILISER PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 202, 26 August 1919, Page 8

THE FERTILISER PROBLEM.

i FOR. SOLDIER SETTLERS. "WHEN" WILL THE PRICES DKOPi THE STATE AND NAURU PHOSPHATE. SOME ASPECTS OF INTEREST. | It is not so many years ago that the average fanner was inclined to look askance ai what was spoken of as the chemical fertiliser, and when stable j manure and Iwnedusi failed, he put i much of his simple trust in providence j and fallowed fields. But tin- time? have ! changed. Lime, potash, phosphatic mix- j tnres, .ir.d other coaxers to increased productivity are eagerly sought by the farmer resolved ou yettm!; the best results from this land, and the market price of these several commodities is a serious concern. At the present time, sn,l for a good while past, the price of fertilisers lias been high— very Tiijrh. and : many a returned soldier who has gone hark to the land for the cradle of his ! future hopes is scratching a perplexed ! head over this newly found manuring ! problem. Is there any way by which I the farmer in general. and the | soldier farmer in particular. can ' get- the necessary fertilisers at i a cheaper rate. Can the State, with the help of New Zealand's share of the Nauru phosphates, reduce the price to him? These and kindred questions prompted some inquiries, and the sum to;si of the answers was not greatly encouraging for the immediate future. REMEDY NOT WTTH THE STATE. Mr. K. Clifton, who as head of the Agricultural Department for a pood many years, gathered a wide experience and local knowledge on this subject, expressed the candid opinion that the State could not 'become a manufacturer and supplier of fertilisers to any great advantage to the farmer. He pointed out that the phosphatic manures f >rm the great bulk of the fertilisers used with most profitable effect throughout the world. The- bulk of this class of manure we nse in New Zealand is obtained from various islands in tlie Pacific, and also from Japan. Unless it is used in the raw condition, that is to >ay. in the simple ground-up state, this phosphatic rock requires treatment in chemical works, while the large proportion of this mineral phosphate that is used in its simple state returns only a moderate margin of proit to the merchants who handle it. If the State entered this fertiliser industry in order to help the farmer, tiie benefit to the farmer would be very doubtful, remarked Mr. Clifton, and as the State could not deal with every ■■lass of fertiliser, there would be a tendency for certain line- to go still higher in price. Co-operative buying by farm<rs was another aspect which did not appeal to him. He had seen some sad results of such -bavins?, and in one or two instances, when head of the Department. He had actually been obliged to refuse permission to sell fertiliser lines so purchased, owing to their poor quality. SETP3 WANTED FOR NAURU ROCK. Discussing the Nauru Inland phosphate —hopes in which have developed considerably of late—Mr. Clifton was of opinion that this rock, like mo-t of the other mineral phosphates we obtained from The islands, could be used to good purpose as a manure in the form it i reached us from the islands, without going through a chemical and mixing process. That meant that the only serious trouble was the finding of ships to bring it here. He doubted, however, whether the State could distribute thi = more cheaply than the trader, who would be bound 'by competition to keep down his profit to a reasonable margin. HIGH PRICE FACTORS. _"I think we have- to assiune that we snail get our share of the phosphates i from Nauru at bedrock prices/ said Mr ; James Boddje, president of the Lnioa. "But it we could get a million tons a year instead of 100,0110, 1 don't see how it would greatly help us at present, as the output capacity of the only fertiliser works in New" Zealand capable of dealing with it are going sit full speed now. Until the local works at Te Papapa. are completed I see nothing to encourage us to anticipate that ' the price of fertilisers will be reduced. | As to the Government undertaking to | supply settlers, much as 1 realise, being j a farmer, that a cheap and plentiful sup" ply ot manure is of vital importance to the producer, I do not think that the State coud do anything to relieve the position by entering as a competitor with the manufacturers and merchants. Superphosphate, which fornix about 7o per cent of the whole of our fertiliser mixtures, is only manufactured by one 'irmjn New Zealand at present." The! Te I'a.papa works will have an output of ' about RU.OOO tons per annum and will be the iarpest chemical manure works in -Nov.- Zealand, but they are not yet ready although it is 'hree years Mnce they were started. How long would it be. then, before the Government could ease ihe situation by supplying fertiliser? No. | f am afraid until we get additional | means of manufacture and distribution I the present high prices will continue. and 1 do not think it is useful or wise to ' look to the 'Jovernment as a possible manufacturer or distributor." WHKX PRICES ARE LIKELY TO DROP. A gentleman who is closely associated with the. fertiliser industry expressed the ' • •pillion when sperkinp on" the topic that we can look for n > immediate relief fioni ; the present high price* of phosphati. j manures. One of the most valuable i manures was basic slag, and the best ; quality of basic slag came from the >-oi.- ; tinent, especially Belgium. Cnfortu- I nately the English product was mostly i inferior, and though it was still obtainable, some of it was so poor that merchants were not importing it. When the : machinery w;;s replaced in the iron districts of the continent that had been devastated in the war, basic slag or" the best quality would soon be available again, and with the shipping supply back to normal, prices would so in come down. So far as Nauru phosphates were concerned, the main thing respecting the price would be the freight, as the actual producing and selling profits w .uld he so small that the Government could not hope to place the material on the farm cheaper thai: the private trader. The same remark he applied to lime. What the Government should do was to remove the travelling limit and allow agricultural lime to be carried any distance on the railways free. He was satisfied the State could not produce the lime at a cheaper rate than that at which it was beinjr now Kupplied. Th<- average price in the North Island was about 16/ per ton. and he believed one co-operative company in the South Island was producing it at 15/, which was not a great difference. Summing up the fertiliser situation, he expected' to see a bh' change for the better in prices in about a years time, though wo could not in his opinion, ever hope to see prices back to pre-war rates, owing to the. higher Bi wages now being- paid.