ARTIFICIAL MANURES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1914, Page 2

ARTIFICIAL MANURES

A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR THE FARMER. GOVERNMENT URGED TO IN- , CREASE BONUS. All dealing with the question of fertiliser supplies, three remits were brought before the Pastoraliets' Conference to-day. Thoy were as follow :— Manawatu.*-" That action be taken to obtain a reduction in the present high cost of artificial manures in the Dominion, either by representation through the Minister for Agriculture or such other manner as may be deemed advisable "; and "That where deposits of lime are known to exist on Government land, the Government be asked to take steps to ensure that the farming community should have every facility for obtaining it at the lowest possible cost." Clevedon.— " That the Government be urged id 1 take 3ome steps to increase the supply of- phosphatic manures, and also to increase the bonus for finding rock phosphates in New Zealand." Mr. J. Balsillie moved the adoption of the Manawatu remits, and Mr. C. C. Munro the Cleyedon romit. Mr. Munro said that while' it was true the Government offered a reward for the discoverj of phosphate deposits, the conditions of the bonu3 did not hold out a great deal of inducement to prospectors. No doubt in the near future the farmers would have to depend a great deal on top dressing. Manures wero increasing in price, and something should be done to maintain the supply. Mr. J. A. Pond, F.C.S., on the invitation of the chairman, addressed the delegates on the subject. He suggested that not only phosphates should be searched for in New Zealand, where only small deposits were likely, but the outlying islands, where there were huge deposits, should be exploited. He advocated that the bonus for finding phosphate rock should be increased to, say, £1000 in place of £500 (or £250 if found on private land), as laid down in the present conditions. In reply to a question, Mr. F. S. Pope, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, who was present by request, stated that up to tho present the Department had not done a great deal in the testing of papa rock for fertilising purposes. Papa -in one place might be worth something, while papa in another locality might bp no good at all. Certain experiments were being made at present, and Mr. B. C. Aston, Government Analyst,' who was at present on a trip abroad, was making full enquiries into the question of obtaining phosphate supplies, and was also enquiring into the best machinery for crushing limestone. H9 agreed that £500 was not a large bonus for the discovery of phosphates, and the Government might be induced to increase the sum. The remits were adopted, also a motion by Mr. John Studholme (Canterbury) to the effect that the matter of increasing the bonus for the discovery of phosphata deposits be referred to the Board of Agriculture for its specially favourable consideration.