THE PRICE OF FERTILISERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1925, Page 6

THE PRICE OF FERTILISERS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I notice that you have a very persistent correspondent on the above mentioned subject in the person of Mr. J. Feaver, junr., of Opunake. I think, .Sir, that you would be doing your cor- . respondent and the farming community in general a great service if you declined to publish any ipore of Mr. Fearer's letters unless were accompanied by some proof that the statements and figures given were correct. Unfortunately a few unthinking farmers are being led to believe that all manure merchants and manure manufacturers are profiteeers and frauds. It is a wonder to me that your correspondent does not embark in the business and get some of the huge profits for himself. Or perhaps Mr. Feaver is. one of the many farmers who, in lean years, lost faith in their own concern and forfeited their shares in the Farmers’ Fertiliser Co. It is “sour grapes” to them now that the company is paying 74 per cent, dividend. Surely shareholders who went without dividends during the lean years are entitled to fair interest on their share capital when the company is in a position to pay it. The trouble is that a number of shareholders in farmers’ companies expect dividends at both ends—they want their goods for next to nothing and a dividend at the end of the year, too.

Now for a few “manurial” facts which your correspondent might peruse and inwardly digest. Mr. Feaver says in your columns on the Ist inst. that basic slag is on. sale ill England at from 10s to 13s per ton, is landed in Canada at £1 per ton, and should be landed at New Plymouth at less than £2 10s per ton. Yes; I have no doubt that thousands of tons of slag are turned out annually in England, and on the Continent and sold at 10s per ton. But it is used for road metal and railway ballast and has no manorial value whatever. Again, thousands of tons of slag of perhaps 10 to 12 per cent, phosphoric acid are turned out. To bring this slag up to the requirements of the New Zealand farmer. High-grade slag( which is available in very limited quantity) has to be mixed with it. Basic slag, containing 17 per cent. P2 05 is considered to be high grade by farmers on the Continent. Slag must be crushed and .served at a cost of about 10s per ton. The New Zealand farmer demands his slag packed in double jute bags. These bags alone put £1 per ton on to the cost of the slag. Freight from. London or Amsterdam to New Plymouth breakwater is about £2 per ton, and from the breakwater to New Plymouth station about 8s 3d per ton. We now have a total cost of £3 18s 3d, without having paid anything for the uncrushed slag, or allowed the manure merchant any profit. Mr. Feaver, or any other farmer, could have bought 17/20 per cent. Belgium slag this year from at least one well-known Taranaki merchandise firm at £4 12s 3d New Plymouth station, or £4 4s ex ship’s slings. Allowing the cost of the slag in Belgium at 12s per ton, it will be seen from the above figures that the huge profit of 2s per ton is left to the vendor, and he’would be lucky indeed if a few broken bags or a few non-paying clients did not eliminate that 2s. If Mr. Feaver took the trouble to learn the facts he would find out that merchants eithei* lose money on their slag business or make a profit of nearer 2 than 20 per cent. The writer takes more than a passing interest in this matter, and had several brands of slag analysed this year, and in every case the analysis was up to the guarantee. High -grade superphosphate can be purchased from any of the Auckland fertiliser works, or'from any merchant, on the basis of £5 12s 6d per ton, Auckland. I understand that the rock phosphate costs about £3 per ton. This phosphate has to be unloaded into the works, crushed, converted into superphosphate by means of expensive plant and machinery, .packed into good bags and advertised, and then commission has to be paid to merchants for selling the finished article (said commission being a long way short of 21 per cent., as alleged by your correspondent). Much as the writer desires to eee manures as cheap as possible, he has yet to learn where all the profiteering m the fertiliser business, comes in. Perhaps your learned correspondent has heard that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.’’—l am, etc.. FOS FATE. New Plymouth, Oct. 6.