MUNICIPAL MILK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 18

MUNICIPAL MILK.

COUNCIL MEMBER OBJECTS. "LESSON'S OF THE PAST." Objection to tlie introduction of a municipal milk supply was voiced yesterday by Mr. James" Haslam, a member of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, in a statement made after the meeting of the council. "I would liko to ask any member, Labour or otherwise, to prove to me that private enterprise is not in the best interests of the community," he said.

"Wo are hearing a great deal at the present time about municipalised milk," said Mr. Haslam. "If some people knew a little more about it I am sure they would talk less. I hope, only, that the ratepayers of Auckland will have a vote on a loan, which would lie necessary to buy out the present milk interests "and to make, improvements. That loan would ho in the vicinitv of £200,000.

"We have had some experience in municipal trading which the public will not forget too easily. For instance, there was the municipal fish market, which cost the ratepayers thousands of pounds, and now we have the municipal trams. If it were not for the ratepayers' money they would be bankrupt inside 12 months."

"I would like to ask Mr. F. li. Watts what he finds in the Wellington svstemj decs he know how many hundred thousand it took to get that system, and that the ratepayers have ' never received any benefits either in relief of r«tes or cheaper milk, or received the same service that they did under private enterprise. I would like to tell him that the present -Milk Council has done more- in three years, without any cost to the ratepayers, than Wellington lias done in 10 years. In any case, whv pick on the milkman! The' butcher, "baker and grocer are all in the srtme position "