THE PRICE OF FERTILISERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18762, 16 July 1924, Page 7

THE PRICE OF FERTILISERS.

Six-,--1 have read the letter by Mr. Chas. Macmillan on the above subject, and heartily endorse all his statements. I am a practical farmer, trying to make a living off the land, so I know of all the hard labour entailed in making a farm pay. Mr. Nosworthy, in his speech the other day, remarked that the dairying industry was the backbone of the country's prosperity (or words to that effect). Ho also stated that ho was determined to probe to the bottom this question of the price charged to the farmer for fertilisers. I say "more power to him" for his courage and patriotism in seeing that the farmer has a fair deal! When the Government secured the Nauru phosphate rock it never intended that an undue or excessive profit was to be made out of its manufacture by private concerns. The mistake it made was in not restricting the amount of profit to be thus made. A bett?r way would have been to set up works of its own, which would sell the fertilisers to the farmer at a reasonable pricß and preclude the possibility of profiteers victimising him, as they sire doing at present. I hope to see this matter pursued to the bitter end until the man on the land obtains his fertilisers at a fair and reasonable figure, not, paying through the noso as he is doing at present for what- is (or should he) a national asset, but which has got into the hands of private concerns, to their aggrandisement and hifi lostu Another FABsrER.

Sir, —As it is evident that the charge of profiteering cannot be sustained, the attack has been shifted, and in a letter in Monday's Herald Mr. Macmillan, M.P.. breaks some fresh ground. He uses some very strong terms, and accuses the manufacturers of a "criminal conspiracy." He admits that the price must include a profit for the manufacturer and a commission for the merchant, but lie professes to have found another charge In the amount which the merchant forfeits if he does not observe the rules of the game. The fact Is that he looks at it purely from a dairy company's point of view. These companies, in many cases, do merchandising for their suppliers, often charging only a nominal commission, and sometimes none at all and making up the loss out of their other business. In attempting to do this Mr. Macmillan is really attempting to abolish not the third mythical charge but the merchants' commission. If all users of manures were dairy company suppliers, and all the business came through that medium, it would probably bo all right, but when the manufacturer has to depend on the ordinary merchant for the greater part of his sales, he must, for his own protection, and to make sure of holding his business, see that the merchant gets a fair pan, which would not be the case if any considerable portion of the business was done at a price which did not allow a fair remuneration for selling. The arrangements made in this matter do not in the slightest degree increase the price to the purchaser, but rather the reverse. They have been running for quite &' long period with entire satisfaction to all concerned. No one appears to have had any just cause for complaint until now the politicians discover it. It will be found to be a mare's nest like the profiteering charge./ A. A. Bess.;