"ILL-CONCEIVED."

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 141, 17 June 1939, Page 12

"ILL-CONCEIVED."

MILK ZONE SCHEME.

CHALLENGE TO COUNCIL.

OPINIONS OF A VENDOR,

The warning given yesterday by the chairman of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, that vendors would have to give earnest co-operation to the council'a consolidation scheme, if they expected any increase in price to be made, was the subject of adverse comment by Mr. A. Thompson, a member of the committee of the Auckland Retail Milk Vendors' Association, in a statement made to-day.

Mr. Thompson emphasised that the vendors had a*ked for no increase in price. '"Mr. Goldstine's remarks make it appear that the vendors are behind the present move for an increase," he declared. "One increase has already betri made in order to assist the farmers, and the vendors gained no advantage from that. As the matter stands at present, I should say that the vendors are quite willing tc continue at the present margin of profit."

"Attempting a Compromise." "Mr. Goldstine's statement regarding vendor consolidation suggests that the council's scheme is an answer to the vendors' request for an increased margin for distribution" he added. "The vendor*; have not asked for an increase and the truth is that the council realises that overlapping still persists and, disappointed with Parliament's repeated refusal to grant all-embracing powers, is now attempting a compromise.

"Because the council cannot get complete control of production and to ensure a supply of uniform milk, they cannot insist on all householders in a given block promising one vendor only— householders are given the choice of three," Mr. Thompson added. But it is not eXpedieut to confine each vendor to his ultimate block for the time being and so his licence is issued conditionally on hi* building up trade only in this ultimate area, although he is still allowed to serve customers in other blocks.

"The point is that as these other customers move on he is not permitted to follow them. But the big firms employing roundsmen have licenses which permit them to serve practically every block in the metropolitan area and they arc able to follow customers wherever they may move. The small vendors can see this danger and, because they do not care to lend full co-operation to a. scheme which must mean business suicide to them, it is suggested by the chairman of the Milk Council that they want to sabotage the council's effort. This is not so. All the small vendors want is an assurance that the big firms, by virtue of their enormouß advantage. will not steadily take their gallonage away from them and run them off the road.

Protection For Small Vendors. "Let Mr. Goldstine show the small vendors how they can be protected against the big firms and he will get all the co-operation and support he can ask for from them, because these small vendors want to eliminate useless mileage just as much as he does," be concluded. "The scheme is' ill-conceived and I challenge the majority of the milk councillors to give a clear description of how it really works. The one man who really understands it is the council's consolidation officer, and naturally, he will not now admit that it is hopelessly impracticable and definitely unfair to the small man."