PRICE OF SALT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3197, 22 September 1917, Page 2

PRICE OF SALT

BOARD OF TRADE REPORT.

A report by the Board of Trade regarding Uio recent increase in the price of salt was placed before the House- of Representatives by. the Prime Minister yesterday. \ ... "Salt is principally-' offered and solu In New Zealand from time to timo as the indenting agonte got cablegrams notifying' shipments, and only small stocks are held in store ( by importing merchants," states (ho Board of Trade. • "As salt is entirely an imported article, the Now Zealand ? rices are dependent upon English, Ausralian, and, to a slight extent, American quotations. Two shipments from England have been, lost. The freight quoted from. America is up to .£8 per ton, making importation, from that country practically prohibitive. The supplies from Australia have not been available recently for fwo reasons— (1)- the. Bundaberg orop, owing to local reasons, was a partial failure, ailff'& no shipping facilities have been, avaflawe. The quotation {or Bait f.o.b. in Australia is X 7: 10b. to oES/per ton, to which, must bo added frciglit ,■ and charges, costing landed in New Zealand about dC9 10s. per ton. "A-email quantity is du« to arrive shortly from England, which will cost about <£8 10a. in merchants' stores. A monfii ago salt ivns worth oClii in. Sydney, but the market is now easier, anil wlion relations with New Zeufiilul are resumed a substantial drop is expected. Most of the big consumers in 'the Dominion fortunately lipid stocks for nearly twelve months' requirements, and uiu sail being (sold as high as £12 per ton is only in small lots, and hns been fn sonio instances repurchased in Gisborne and Auckland at tho market price of JilO 10s., to which hns to be added hand-' ling-charges and freights from those ports. 77 at' present the price quoted does not exceed .£lO per ton in Pjeton, it does not appear undov tho circn'meTances to be linreasonaTsTo. No. higher quotation has como definitely under tho notice of the Board of Trade."