SUPERPHOSPHATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21998, 6 July 1933, Page 7

SUPERPHOSPHATE

PRICE TO FARMERS UNALTERED STATEMENT BY MINISTER (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, July o. An announcement that the price at which superphosphate is sold to farmers will remain unaltered was made to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr C. E. Macmillan). The subsidy payments will be continued on an agreed basis ar.d in December next a further meeting will be held between the manufacturers and the authorities to decide the proceduie to be adopted from the end of that month onwards. Mr Macmillan stated that after conferring yesterday and again this morning with the superphosphate manufacturers a decision had been made regarding the question of subsidy as from July 1. The matter had to be- given specially careful consideration consequent upon the much reduced volume of business which has occurred of late and the heavy stocks of both raw and manufactured material which are being carried, to gether with the higher costs of some necessary materials. The necessity for safeguarding Government expenditure was also an important factor in the discussions. It was necessary that the total amount expended on this subsidy during the current financial year should be kept within a fixed limit. As the result an arrangement was made under which the selling price of superphosphate to farmers will remain unaltered while the subsidy payments on an agreed basis will continue.