DOMINION FOOD PRODUCTION

Southland Times, Issue 25746, 9 August 1945, Page 7

DOMINION FOOD PRODUCTION

PHOSPHATE SUPPLIES IMPORTANT

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, August 8. If New Zealand was to play its part in relieving the world , food problem, a plentiful supply of phosphates had to be assured, said Mr S. Irwin Crookes, chairman of the New Zealand Farmers’ Fertilizer Company, at the annual meeting today. He drew attention to the fact that the combined food board which met in Washington at the end of May made extra allocations of phosphates to the Dominion to increase food production, but at that time could not guarantee the extra shipping required. There were now indications, he added, of the shipping'shortage being overcome in the near future.

Mr Crookes said that of the 20,000,000 acres under cultivation in New Zealand in the year ended January 31, 1944, less than 17 per cent, had been topdressed. “It is very startling to realize that out of every six acres of land cultivated in New Zealand, only one acre was topdressed,” said Mr Crookes, who added that there were indications of some relief of the fertilizer industry’s main problems, namely, shortages of manpower, rail trucks and phosphate rock. British Phosphate Commissioners were making all possible provision in advance to enable the islands of Nauru and Ocean to be worked at the earliest moment after their recapture from the Japanese.