SHOCK FOR FARMERS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 September 1947, Page 4

SHOCK FOR FARMERS

FERTILISER PRICE MAY RISE TO £10 PER TON " v AUCKLAND, Sept. 2. Kertiliser merchants in Auck- * land have advised dairy comp!anies that, following the withdrawal of the fertiliser subsidy, they are prepared to accept orders for 44/46 superphosphate under the 1947-48 allocation * at about £10 a ton compared with £4 16s last season, subjeet to the price being* finally determined M by the Price Tribunal. ' / On top of this the "dairy companies have received advice from the Auckland Farmers Freezing Company Ltd. that cooL store charges will be substantially increased as from August 1 owing* to the removal of certain subsidies. 4 These communications areunderstood to have caused a state" of nervousness among farmers in the Waikato. Some, have written to the dairy eom- „ ■ 'panies seeking'-either to cancel or reduee their 1947-48 allocation of fertiliser in view of expected substantial rise in price. An authoritative assnrance that the farmers were worrying . needlessly was given today. It. was stated that the matter ' would be adjusted when the * eurrent season 's price for butterfat was considered by the Dairy Marketing Commission. Any increase in dairy farmers' costs s would be automatically added to the return he received for his produet. Merchants and representatives of the fertiliser eompanies are at present in Wellington for discussions with representatives . of the Department of Agriculture. The Government is expeeted to make an offieial statement on fertiliser prices this week. The eircular to all dairy eompanies from the Auckland "Farmers Freezing Company, giving a warning of a substantial increase in storage rates, was received in parts of the Waikato today. It will come before the directors of most of the eompanies at meetings to be held next week.