NAURU PHOSPHATE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 88, 13 April 1923, Page 7

NAURU PHOSPHATE

REDUCTION IN PRICE SUPPLY EQUAL TO DEMAND. [IT TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL TO THE POST.) AUCKLAND, This Day. Further reductions in the price of Nauru and Ocean Island phosphate will be made from Ist July next. The present prices of delivered produce are, for New Zealand and Western Australia, £1 12s 3d a ton; for the Eastern States of the Commonwealth, £1 9s 3d. The Now Zealand Commissioner for the British Phosphate Commission (Mr. A. P.. EJlis) stated yesterday that the reductions . forecasted had been decided upon, notwithstanding that a cantilever. structure for improving loading facilities at Nauru had not yet been erected.' When this work was completed it would be possible to further reduce • the cost of the material. It was anticpiated that projected improvements would be completed within two years. Although the Commission hat} no responsibility tor the price at which tho superphosphate was sold in New Zealand and Australia, fertiliser manufacturers had agreed to a clause in.their contracts by which the selling price of tha product as gold to farmers should be adjusted in such a manner that consumers would have the benefit of the savings arising from the purchase of the Nauru and Ocean Island raw material. Not being a manufacturer, Uie Commission was concerned only with the delivery of phosphate rock. Other factors in making fertilisers, such as coat of sulphurjc acid, .labour, grinding, and mixing, overhead/ charges, etc, did not come within its jurisdiction.

T]}e statement recently published in Australia thaj; two new vessels had been purchased by the CpmmisaiQn was npt quite correct, qdded, Mr. Ellis. Only one new vessel, the Nauru Chief, had been a,cqu,ired, though others were employed on charter. T|ie New Zealand supplje? were carrie.cl by vessels of the Union Steam, Ship' Company. The de.m.and for phosphate, said Mr. Ellis, was increasing universally. The total annual optput i'rom Nauru and Ocean Island approached 400,000 tons, but should this increase to 500,000 tpn.s, the supply would be equal to the demand at that rate for the next 200 yeai'R Of the total output the Governments oi preat Britain and Australia each took 42 per cent., and New Zealand 16 per cent. New Zealand's share of the cost of buying out the Pacific Phosphate Company wap just under £600,000, and the Commonwealth contributed £1,500,----000. The Dominion was now getting all the phosphate rock it required from Nauru apd Ocean Island. Last year New Zealand received pver 51,000 tons, which was practically its full quota of the outDut.