No Readjustment Yet Of Fertiliser Prices

Chronicle (Levin), 15 July 1948, Page 6

No Readjustment Yet Of Fertiliser Prices

WELLINGTON, July 14. • "Tlie ruling prices for phosphatic .fertilisers - are not .to be stdjusted at piieseqt, "* said. MiS. .CMleii, . Minister- of Agriculture, toniglit. " At the moment it is difficnlt to forocast whetlier any reducti'on will be 'possible during the 1948-49 rationing year) owing to * tlio fact that the supply position of - law rock has mat'erially altered during the last few weeks. "In May -of this year it was anticipated- that '-spme - reduction woutd be possible as Jr'om' July T ,but . stfikea among the native workers on Oc'ean Island have necessitated tlieir repatriatioii and: replaceinent by Oliinese labour. This cahnot be' effected until the end ot August whicli1 will -meah a loss of four monthsl output from > Ocean Island.•Tliis wrll; in turii, ihcrease- the dverhead' c'ost of ■ faw ' roclc by- hh linkhdwn amount. Tlie ldst "output from . Ocean Island must be made up by purchases of North African phosphate at prices considerably in exeess of those whicli would have riile'd, froin Nauru and Ocean Islands and it will not be'possible to estimate the effeet oi" e.i.f. price ot raw .rock landed at New Zealand ports until at least the lutter part of August. In view of this position I woul3 .urge . tliat users of fertiliser should accept deliveries in the nOrmal manner as failure to do so will react detrimentally on the overall delivery -of fertilisers during the' 1948-49 rationing year." ' -