SUPERPHOSPHATE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1940, Page 11

SUPERPHOSPHATE

PRICE AND CONDITIONS

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. ECONOMY SACKS URGED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The price and conditions of sale of I superphosphate were announced last night by the Minister of Agriculture, I Mr Lee Martin. The Minister stated that the Government’s policy since the outbreak of war had been to maintain the price of superphosphate at the pre-war level by meeting the increases occasioned by war conditions in costs of the ingredients. "The Government considers it necessary, however, to encourage a system of economy in the use of fertiliser sacks, and for that reason a variation in the conditions of sale is being made whereby the superphosphate will be invoiced to the farmers on the basis of ‘sacks extra,’ with a stipulated allowI ance on all empty sacks returned withI in 90 days in serviceable condition," ' Mr Martin said. "For the present the ! new arrangement applies only to the North Island, and the existing arrangeI ment in the South Island remains undisturbed. It is intended, however, toward the end of September next, to review the position as it applies to the South Island. "The new price in the North Island for superphosphate packed 12 or 16 sacks to the ton, will be £3 9s 6d a ton, sacks extra. In the case of the Challenge Phosphate Company, Limited, and the Farmers’ Fertiliser Company, Limited, the charge for sacks will be 13s a ton of superphosphate supplied, with a rebate of 8s 6d when the sacks are returned. In the case of Kempthorne, Prosser and Company s New Zealand Drug Company. Limited, the charge for sacks will be 11s, with a rebate of 6s 6d. ’The different prices charged for sacks is occasioned by the difference in cost paid by the companies on the sacks imported and used by them.” The Minister pointed out that the superphosphate industry was at present using more than 7.000.000 sacks annually, and that the price of new sacks was now more than double the pre-war price. In spite of this, and provided the farmer returned the sacks in good order, he would be paying no more than the pre-war price for his fertiliser. If sacks could bo used two, three, or four times, instead of once, a considerable economy in importation was possible, and farmers could assist the 'Government’s effort to reduce importaI lions by careful handling of all classes

of fertiliser and other sacks. Details of the scale of prices now current in the North Island were published in a Price Order issued that day by the Price Tribunal, and provision was made also whereby farmers who forward their own sacks for filling with superphosphate would be charged the bulk price of the fertiliser increased by 2s (id a ton as a filling charge. The new arrangement necessitated revocation of the Board of Trade (Fertiliser-price) Regulations. 1938. insofar as they applied to the North Island.