The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-10-17
THE MANNING TIMES.


dustries board, under the immediate
supervision of Mr.. Baruch, so that
there will be no competitive bidding
for this material, This should very
much simplify the problem and make
it feasible to secure the best possible
terms. The price of Chilean nitrate
on board ship in Chile has greatly
increased within recent months with
out justification. Shipping rates also
have increased. The increase in price
is due in part to unfounded state
ments regarding the demand for
Chilean nitrate for munitions pur- !
poses and for fertilizers, especially in
connection with the $10,O0O,OOO re-
Gently appropriated by Congress to
purchase nitrate of soda. AS a mat
ter of fact, the demands of this coun- '
try for nitrate of soda will be smaller
than heretofore. The Navy already
has placed contracts for this material
to satisfy its needs for the next IL
months. The War Department an
nounces that practically all the So
dium nitrate which it has been plan
ned to procure for the gradual build-
ing up of the war reserve already
has been contracted for. The guam
tity which may be purchased for fer
tilizer use under the special appro-
priation of Congress will not be an
addition to the quantity normally
used Any quantity purchased by
the Government and sold to farmers
will simply take the place in part
of quantities heretofore supplied to
them through private agencies. AS
a matter of fact, it is probable that
the farmers will not seek as large
quantity of this material asNhas been
used in the last year or two. Some
contracts already have been made by
farmers for nitrate Of soda. In view
of all these facts, it is probable that
the appreciate demand for the next
five or six months will be below the
normal. 1t is certain that unless the
market prices, which ;,re now in the
neighborhood of 500 Il ton, fall, the
farmers demand for nitrate will de-
crease.
AS has been stated, the purchasing
will be handled directly through the
war industries board. The Depart
ment of Agriculture will cooperate
with the purchasing committee in the
effort to procure nitrate of soda. 1t
is authorized by law to secure facts
as to the demand for fertilizers, in
cluding nitrate Of soda, their supply,
consumption, costs, and prices, and
the basic facts relating to their OWL
ership, production, transportation,
manufacture, storage, and distribu-
ton. This inquiry is now being
prosecuted through the Bureau of
Markets. In connection with this the
needs of farmers will be ascortained
and all amounts purchased Tor their
! use, after the shipments reach the
ports, will be taken charge of by the
department and will be distributed
, through the department to farmers at
cost for cash. The collections will be
made by the department and will be
i turned into the Treasury. To assist
the department in les activities in
this direction the services of Mr.. Nell
z. Wilkinson, of Atlanta, Ga, have
been secured. He will be given such
assistants as may be needed and will
/ have available the services of the cx-
perts of the Bureau Of Soils and the
Bureau of Plant Industry.
Authority has been given the Presi-
Gent, if necessary, to license the i'm
portation, manufacture, storage, and
distribution of fertilizers, to require
the licenses to submit reports, and to
permit entry and inspection of their
places of business. The President is
further authorized, if he shall find
that any storage charge, commission,
profit, or practice Of any licensce is
UNJUST, or unreasonable, or discrimi-
natory and unfair, to cause such
charge, commission, profit, or prac-
ticc, may determine what is just and
reasonable and his finding shall be
prma facie evidence in any court in
which proceedings may be brought.
1t is also provided that licenses NAV
be revoked for cause. If it becomes
necessary to exercise the licensing
power, the Department Of Agricul-
tire, through a special agency, will
utilize the services Oft he licensing
ii yiSin nf 1,n 1