Securing Delivery Of Urgent Fertiliser

Northern Advocate, 24 April 1944, Page 2

Securing Delivery Of Urgent Fertiliser

Considerable difficulty had been experienced during the late summer and autumn months in farmers procuring delivery of fertiliser from the works, stated Mr. A. J. Murdoch. M.P.. member of the Dairy Board, at the Northland Ward conference in Whangarei today Representations had been made by him to both the Minister for Railways and the Minister for Defence regarding speeding up of deliveries, and in some areas, notably the Waikato, army transport had materially assisted in deliveries of fertilisers and the position there was fairly satisfactory, but this did not apply to Northland. although an improvement had been effected. He then quoted from a communication he had received from the Railway Department regarding the position as it affected the railways. “At no time during March,” stated the letter, “was there a short supply of waggons from the Auckland works, ample supplies being available. ’ The following figures were given to show the increase during the months: At one Auckland works 29 waggons were utilised daily in March, as compaicd with 21 in February and 10 in January, while other works were in a like proportion. A stocktaking of lime and manure on hand at stations ' in the Auckland district on March 4 was taken and analysis showed that tons of lime were in goods, sheds ana 821 in railway waggons, while 569 tons of manure were on hand and 1033 tons were in railway waggons. Concluding, the letter stated that tnc output from the works by rail for March was disappointing if the orders were in arrears to the extent that had been stated.