§ MR. FFRENCH (Wexford, S.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has 440 been called to the fact that the sellers of artificial manures are enabled to obtain for them much more than their value owing to the method of stating analysis on trade circulars and price lists; whether he is aware that nitrogen is usually put down as ammonia or sulphate of ammonia, although one part of nitrogen is equal to 1.2 of ammonia or 4.7 of sulphate of ammonia; that potash is frequently stated as sulphate of potash or potash salts, although one part of potash is nearly equal to two of either of the latter; and that phosphates are stated as partly or mostly soluble, or the total phosphates and so-many parts soluble, instead of so many parts soluble and so many parts insoluble; and, whether, with a view to prevent purchasers being misled, he will consider the advisability of putting a stop by legislation or otherwise to such methods of stating analysis.
§ MR. HANBURYI cannot of course either confirm or disprove the statement in the first part of the Question. In the second and third parts of the Question the hon. Member no doubt refers not to the invoice but to the advertisement, and the practice referred to is, I think, less common in England and Scotland than he assumes it to be in Ireland. The vendor of any fertiliser in a quantity not less than half a hundredweight is required to send to the purchaser an invoice stating the name of the article, whether it is an artificially compounded article or not, and what is at least the percentage of the nitrogen, soluble and insoluble phosphates and potash, if any, contained in it, and that invoice acts as a warranty. It was considered when the I Act was passed that this afforded an adequate protection to the purchaser and I have as yet no sufficient evidence to show that this has not been the case. If the hon. Member will furnish me with evidence I will see if anything further can be done.