THE CITY MILK SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 86, 11 April 1922, Page 8

THE CITY MILK SUPPLY.

I'l'o the Editor.! Sir, —Your able remarks in Saturday's issue have called attention to a phase of the milk business which 'was not emphasised at the recent meeting, viz., the effect of the milk pool on the consumer. It was made clear that the policy of the proposed company was nr>i to enter the retail trade. The producer's aim is to place his milk within reach of the distributing agent at a reasonable price. Also to prepare the milk by pasteurisation so that it is in the best possible condition for human consumption. By a reasonable price is meant a fair return for the capital invested in. land, stock and plant, and for labour. The farmers of the 'Milk Producers" Association arc strongly of opinion that the public have been -paying too much, for their milk. At the present tinie two shillings per gallon is high enough for the average consumer bin hue difficulty is _ia.t the vendor takes half t'hp nmouut. viz.. one shilling per gallon for distributing. and) t l«at in the opinion of the farmer is a.n unfair proportion, considering the difference in capital employed. There is also an impression that '".surplus" milk for which the vendor pays fourpence or livepence a. gallon is being retailed at 2' per gallon. So if the vonsuuicr is not getting a fair deal it is the "distributing" which is at. fault. It is the vendor's business to bring down his costs and give t/he farmer a larger 7rroporuou of the retail price. l<*To_u figures compiled for the Board of Agriculture when I lie better equalisation question was before Parliament, it was frankly admitted that the cost of producing buttenfat was ! 1/8 'per lb. equal to about eight.pence per igallo-n of milk. For town supply milk i produced on high-priced land with no ; return of "skim"' the cost must lie considerably higher, more especially during the -winter months. Cnder the present system of sending both "contract" and. "surplus" to the vendor, few farmers are getting Vost"' for their product. The proposed centralisation at a distributing station is the first step towards v-hea-pening the cost of bringing milk to the city. It should do awuv with the multiplicity of motor wagons and carts which are overia-pping in collecting milk, all of which the farmer pays for. Then the distribution passes to the vendor. If it is not in the power of the present firms handling this end of the business to overcome tliese heavy charges ami cut out costly competition and overlapping; which tlie public pays for, then it is time that either the farmers or the local authority took steps no regulate the* business.—l am. etc.. F. H. i.EONIARD. East Tamalci.