FARMING AFFAIRS

Chronicle (Levin), 12 February 1948, Page 6

FARMING AFFAIRS

y. (T-his cqlumn is. supplied weeKly , hy Federated Parmers of Ngw Zealand, and the information Hven is oflinial, but any views expressed are those of the Federation, and are' not necessarily those of this newspaper.) Fertiliser Frice, That the restoration o'f the pre-war production of roek phosphate fropi Nauru I'sland should be- .expedited in order to -'inerease Supplies of superphosphate" aVailable in New Zealand at a reduced price, 'is a contention of Peder ated • Parmers. The Aid for Britain National CWneil" has been asked to m- : vestigate: the position. . ' * At the end of jSTovember last, in reply tq an urgent query Federated Earmers was told by the Biitish Phosphate Commissioner that it was expected that shipmeiits' - of rock from Nauru Islanil would ap^roxiftiate their pre-war amounts in about two years timet By that time the war will have been over" five years, -which to the Federation is an inordinately long time for the repair and recogstruction'' of the ih'aehinery necessary for exportation from tlie Island. The main plant unit in use at Nauru pre-war was the large cantilever aud although nothiug oiiieial has beea published, is is learued on good authority that that unit was dismantled and shipped to Sydney before the Japanese entered the war. The ogly major damage, therefore the Japanese could have'done to Nauru was to the foundations below the sea. No "information is available. as to whether they were damaged or not, but it would seem that the Japanese, with the ideas of beconiing the p'ermanent possessors of the Island, would hardly have attenipted sucli a task. In view of all the apparent eircumstances it seems to the Eederation that there is unnecessary delay iii restoring the pre-war output of rock phosphate from Nauru isldnd. The iuiportation of increased phosphate from Nauru, instead of from foreign sonrces, would immediately result iu a cousiderable reduetion in the selling price of super to farmers in New Zealand. >Such a reduetion would, too, have cousiderable psychological efL'ect on his production while it would bring the use of sujier withiu the price rangi of the farmer on marginal land. 'Witli the present price ex worlts at £10 2s h ton, compared witli £3 His a ton pVe-war

by the time a baek country farmer has paid transport costs and costs of packing aiul spreadiug, that price comes from £15 to £20 a ton on the land. The importance of, Nauru as source of rock supply is shown by tlie fact that in 1939, out of a total importation-into New Zealand of 351,578 tous, 275,921 tous came from there aud the balance froiu Ocean Island. The f.o.b. price at port of sliipiuent was 14s 7d a ton aud the landed cost in New Zealand was £1 9s (5d a ton. . t Eor tho six months ended June 30th, £947, the total iuiportation of .rock phosphate was 172,766 tons- of which •.imount only 2,437 tons came from Nauru, 12,603 tonS from Ocean tIslaml and balance from foreign soiirces. The ,tf,o.bM,pi>ice . at- .port ..of^shipmeiit 111 1947 was £3 8s 4d a ton and the aver-. age landed cost in New Zealand was £6 12s 6d a ton. The ^necessity of increased supplies from Nauru seems obvious and the Eederation is making strong representatious for an investigation into the delay Of. that production.^ It is also pressing for a reduetion in freight rates from Nauru to New Zealand, whihh- have increased by 457 per cent since 193'9.