MILK CONTROL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 171, 21 July 1936, Page 11

MILK CONTROL.

CITY COUNCIL REPORT.

MUNICIPALIZATION FAVOURED.

In a report to the Auckland City Council last night the legal and by-laws committee expressed it'js "emphatic belief in the complete municipalisation of milk." The committee was reporting on the proposed amendments to the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Bill, and in doing so stated that as the amendments were a considerable step nearer the goal of municipalisation it recommended that the council should support the amending legislation. The amendments being dealt with were those supported by the Executive Commission of Agriculture in its report. They gave the Milk Council power to purchase all milk coming into the district and to arrange the systematic collection of milk and the payment of the same price to all dairymen. "Clause 2 gives the Milk Council the power to purchase, collect, treat, store and sell milk wholesale and retail," the committee reported. "It also gives wide powers which your committee believes essential as a further step towards municipalisation. If a sub-clause is inserted as suggested by the commission (providing that the Milk Council shall not bring this section into operation without the consent of the Minister of Agriculture and subject to conditions imposed by him), your committee thinks this would be in the interests of the whole community, as the provision could be used by the Minister to further municipalisation at any such time as necessity demanded." "In the commission's report opposition from various interests will be noted. Th© New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., claims that it should be treated as a single unit. committee feels that the Milk Council should be extremely careful in this matter and should endeavour, in so far as possible, to purchase its milk at the farm gate and maintain a complete independence. Further, your committee is of the opinion that the commission s recommendations in respect to the otliep thiee objections are fair und reasonable, and if dealt with by the council in accordance with the report must be to the good •of the whole industry." The report was adopted. f