BRITISH PHOSPHATES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 139, 13 June 1936, Page 4

BRITISH PHOSPHATES.

COST PRICE TO DOMINIONS. EFFICIENT HANDLING. In his address to shareholders of the Dominion Fertiliser Company (Dunedin), the chairman of directors, Mr. R. G. Hudson, gave some details of the operations of the British Phosphate Commission. "As you probably know," he said, "the commission is a Government body controlling the investment of the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments In the phosphate deposits on Nauru and Ocean Islands. The fixed policy of this body is to supply phosphate to nationals of the interested countries at eost. By the efficiency of its methods the Phosphate Commission has, during the short life of this company, made savings which have enabled it to reduce the c.i.f. price of rock phosphate by 15/4 per ton. In five years the price of Nauru rock has been reduced from £2 5/10 per ton to £1 10/6 per ton. The whole of this reduction has been passed on to consumers or lined by the Government in the reduction of tlie subsidy on phosphate. In a large measure, the reduction has been effected by efficiency in handling of bulk cargoes, freight concessions, as well as by increased tonnage. Recently one of the ships under charter to the Phosphate Commission made the voyage from New Zealand to Nauru and returned with a full freight in the short period of 21 days. You will appreciate what this reduction means when I tell you that the phosphate imported last year into New Zealand through the British Phosphate Commission reached the huge total of 209.950 tons. At the present time the price charged New Zealand and Australian manufacturers for phosphate rock is the same price delivered in New Zealand or Australia as outside countries, such as Japan, pay f.o.b. at the islands. If New Zealand manufacturers were forced to pay world parity for their phosphate supplies it would mean a very substantial increase in the prioe of fertilisers. The interest of the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments in the supply of rock phosphate is therefore of the greatest value to consumers in this country. It is my pleasure to express the appreciation of this country for the service rendered to it through the agency of the commissioners and to their New Zealand staff."