Minister Welcomed

Northern Advocate, 4 June 1947, Page 3

Minister Welcomed

The conference was arranged by the Whangarei Harbour Board which within recent years has been actively interested in the establishment of fertiliser works on the Whangarei Harbour.

Last year arrangements were well in hand for a North African phosphates works to be situated at Kioreroa but the Bureau of Industries and Commerce refused to grant a license to import the machinery necessary to grind the raw material to its fine powder form. This refusal came as a blow to the harbour board which had spent considerable finance in preparing and dredging the harbour at Kioreroa to receive phosphate vessels. Support for the board’s view that a fertiliser works was essential to' the development of primary production in Northland was forthcoming from the Northland Dairy Association which at a recent conference urged that the Government should give consideration to the proposals.

To obtain a coordinate expression of the attitude of primary producers throughout 'Northland and of local bodies and other interested organisations. Mr Cullen was invited to attend yesterday’s conference. It was preceded by a complimentary luncheon tendered by the harbour board. The board’s chairman (Mr E. L. Whimp) presided. • The Mayor (Mr W. Jones) welcomed the Minister to Whangarei.

Expressing the wish that the afternoon’s conference would achieve success, Mr Jones said that no other district in New Zealand possessed greater potentialities for development than Northland. The Minister would find ample scope for his department here, Mr Jones commented. The town versus country attitude did not make for progress and he urged that a better understanding should be achieved and maintained. The Member for Marsdcn (Mr A. J. Murdoch) said Mr Cullen had been connected with agriculture for a considerable time. His appointment to Ministerial rank has been looked upon

as very satisfactory from an agricultural point, of view by members on the other side of the House, Mr Murdoch stated.

In reply the Minister said he appreciated the goodwill shown and the welcome extended to him. He endors-

ed Mr Jones’ advice that town ann country “should not squabble on matters of mutual importance.’’

Opening the conference which tool: place immediately after the luncheon, Mr Whimp welcomed the Minister and visiting delegates

He spoke briefly on the productive potentialities of Northland which he claimed could double or even treble its output of primary produce if fertiliser could be made available at the right time and in adequate supply. Its productivity when fully developed would be sufficient to maintain the whole of New Zealand’s population by a comfortable margin, he said. If one half of the occupied land in Northland was topdressed with a minimum of 2cwt per acre the annual consumption would be 100.000 tons. This figure related to transport costs, indicated that a considerable saving in freight could be made if the fertiliser was distributed through a Northland centre instead of from Auckland, and particularly if the works could be served with transport by sea. rail, road and air.

The proposed location of the North African phosphate works near Kioreroa where those modes of transport could be put into operation, was indicated to the conference.

The harbour board's superintendent (Mr W. M. Fraser) used a large-scale map to illustrate the difficulties and high cohts encountered in the rail transport of fertilisers from the present works in Auckland to Northland districts. On a basis of 4d per ton mile in rail freight charges it would cost about £2/4/- to bring a ton of fertiliser from Auckland to Whangarei by rail. Railway charges were less than that but the difference, he assumed, was made up by way of subsidies.