Depends on
p. 15 · Read in the full issue
Food for Britain Depends on Ocean Is. and Nauru
{From Our Canberra Correspondent) CANBERRA, March 9.
REPLYING to charges made this week by the Federal Opposition, that Australia was not sending all avail able food to Britain, the Minister for Agriculture said that supplies of food depended on superphosphate and that Australia’s vital need of the phosphate being produced on Ocean Island and Nauru must be stressed. (It was announced some time ago that Nauru would be ex porting phosphate by July.) The Minister said that present sea sonal prospects in Australia are exceed ingly good and farmers are urged to go in heavily for production this year.
“There will not, however, be sufficient fertiliser,” he said, “even though quan tities available are increasing. There is a world shortage of phosphate rock, and we are subject to allocation.”
Rev. Cecil Gribble has left Tonga to take up his new duties as assistant general secretary to the Methodist mis sion at Sydney headquarters. His five years’ experience in Tonga have given him a valuable insight into Pacific Island customs.