BASIC SLAG.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4957, 18 February 1937, Page 3

BASIC SLAG.

A VALUABLE FERTILISER. Over the high rainfall areas of the North Island, basic slag is a most favoured fertiliser. Principally valued for its phosphatic content, it has in addition several "impurities" that are considered to produce beneficial results. The chief centres of consumption are Taranaki, Manawatu and North Auckland. This fertiliser is a by-product of certain types of steel furnaces and comes from Belgium and England. To land it cheaply in New Zealand 12,000 miles away, it has to be freighted in specially chartered steamers. This involves looking a long way ahead. Importers have to place their orders in the spring so that the fertiliser is landed the following autumn. Imports during recent years have varied from 15,000 to 94,000 tons. During 1929 and 1930, the tonnage stood at 93,000 to 94,000. During the five years 1931-35, the importations averaged 55,000 tons yearly. Last year the figure had climbed up to 60,000 tons. This season's tonnage is up again. The first shipment arrived at Auckland last week, and the balance of the shipment was to be unloaded at New Plymouth this week. A later ship will be discharging at Wellington probably in March. So as to reduce handling costs to a minimum, sales are made on an exship basis, the bags being loaded straight from the hold on to the truck in which it is consigned to the farmer-purchaser. Although last season's recovery brought increased orders, these would require to rise by 50 per cent, to equal pre-depression q'- ntities. Some people consider that '";50,000 tons a year would not be an excessive consumption in New Zealand for this excellent fertiliser.