FARMING AFFAIRS

Lake County Mail, Issue 37, 18 February 1948, Page 8

FARMING AFFAIRS

This column la supplied weekly by Federated Farmers of New Zealand!. The information given is official but any views expressed are those of the federation and are not necessarily those of this newspaper. FERTILISER PRICE That the restoration of the pre-war production of rock phosphate from Nauru Island should be expedited in order to increase supplies of superphosphate available in New Zealand at a reduced price, is a contention of Federated Farmers. The Aid for Britain National Council has been asked to investigate the position. At the end of November last, in reply to an urgent query Federated Fanners were told by the British Phosphate Commissioner that it was expected that shipments of rock phosphate 'from Nauru Island would approximate their pre-war amounts in about two years time. By that time the war will have been over five years, .which to the federation is an inordinately long time for the repair and reconstruction of the machinery neces- , .sary for exportation from the island. ,The main plant unit in use ; at Nauru ; pre-war was the large cantilever and, although nothing official has been •published, it is learned on good authority that, that unit was dismantled and shipped to Sydney before the Japanese entered the war. The only major damage, therefore, the Japanese could have done to Nauru was to the foundations below the sea. No information is available as to whether they were damaged or not, but it would seem* that the Japanese, with ideas of becoming the permanent possessors of the island, would hardly have attempted such a task. j [ In view of all the apparent / circumstances it seems to the fedl eration that there la unnecessary I delay in restoring the pre-war outjput of rock phosphate from Nauru Island. : i l The importation of increased phosphate from'" Nauru, instead of from foreign sources, would immediately result in a considerable reduction in the selling price of super to farmers in New Zealand. 1 Such a reduction' wquld, too, have considerable psychoi logical effect on his production while it would bring the use of super within the price range of the ' farmer on ! marginal land. ’ With the present price ex work’s at £lO 2s a ton, compared with r £3 16s a ton pre-war by the tijne the back * country farmer has paid transport costs and costs of packing 1 and spreading, that price comes” frjom £ls■to £2O a ton on the land. 1 [■ iThe * importance of Nauru ’as the source of rock phosphate Supply is \ shown by the fact that in 1939, out of a total importation into' New Zealand of 351,578 tons, 275,921 tons' came from there and the balance from Ocean" Island. The f.o.b. price at port of shipment was 14a 7d a ton and the landed cost in New Zealand was £1 9s ; 6d a ton. For the six months ended June 30, 1947, the total importation of rock phosphate were 172,766 tons of which amount only 2437 tons came from Nauru, 12,603 tons from Ocean Island and the balance from foreign sources. The average f.o.b. prices at port of shipment in 1947 was £3 8s id a ton and average landed cost in New Zealand was £6 12s 6d a ton. 'The necessity of increased supplies from Nauru seems obvious and the federation is making strong representations for an investigation into the delay of that production. It is • also pressing for a reduction in freight rates from Nauru to New Zealand, which have increased by 45.7 per cent, since 1939.