THE MILK SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 118, 21 May 1931, Page 6

THE MILK SUPPLY.

When he was asked yesterday to sanction the formation of a Milk Board in Auckland, the Prime Minister made the perfectly proper reply that he would first like to know the views of the Auckland City Council and the consumers. No Government is likely to legislate against local opinion. If Auckland desires control of the milk supply, the parties must come to some agreement. The Mayor of Auckland has been requested to call a meeting of local bodies to discuss the question, and the City Council will consider this to-night. In the meantime, yesterday's discussion made it clearer than ever how difficult the whole problem is. There are the interests of the farmer, the large and small vendors, and the consumer, to reconcile. At yesterday's deputation reference was made to the competition of milk from very cheap land, but, of course, every farmer, no matter what he paid for his land, has a right to sell to the city if he wishes to. One factor in the problem is the high price paid for dairying land near the city. The complaint that small vendors fill bottles at customers , houses, irrespective of whether the bottles are clean or not, is another matter into which the Health Department might look, for if the customer wrongly assumes that his bottle has been sterilised he is unknowingly a grave risk. If the small vendor complies with the requirements of the Health Department in every respect, should he be denied the right to compete ? These and other questions will have to be considered very carefully. After all, the consumer is in a majority, and it is he who keeps the industry going, so his opinion should count. The City Council can do no more just now than decide whether the question should be investigated, and, if it thinks it should, do its best to make the investigation thorough.