DAIRY INSPECTION.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15561, 10 April 1916, Page 4

DAIRY INSPECTION.

ALLEGED OVERLAPPING

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER OF

AGRICULTURE

A deputation of dairymen waited on the Hon. W. D. S. 'Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, on Saturday evening, and brought under his notice the disabilities under which they labour owing to the three inspections—by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Health, and tho City Council,

i. Mr C. Witt}*, M.P., introduced the deputation, and explained its object. Ho said that tho dairymen wished the inspection restricted to ono Department. -

Mr "W. L. "Wright said that they did not havo much canso for complaint, but they objected to the overlapping in tho matter of inspection. "When tho Bill was before the House, ho had objected to tho City Council having any powers of inspection. They thought thati, taking the dairy supply question as a whole, Christchurch was tho best in tho Dominion. They wero quite willing that the Department of Agriculturo should have full control of the power of inspection . Mr A. W. Cook endorsed the previous speaker's remarks, 1 and referred to tho possibility of the opinions of the different inspectors clashing. Mr C. L. Brown said that some dairyfarmers wore leaseholders on short leases, and built jv corrugated-iron building in accordance with tho request of the inspector of the Department of Agriculture, and now they wero called upon bv tho City Council's inspector to incur further expense. In this way the triplo inspection hit tho small man fairly hard.

Mrs Martin gave her experiences of the trouble sho had been put to on account ol" tho requirements of different inspectors.

Tho Minister, in reply, said that as fav as tlie Department of Agriculture was concerned it had nothing to do with tho inspector of milk. If the Department's inspector was satisfied as to the health of tho herd and the sanitary condition of the premised, then his duty ended. "What powers the Christchurch City Council had to inspect ho did not know, but would ascertain on hi s return to Wellington. Ho did not want the inspection under his Department interfered -with. . Replying to Mr Witty, the Minister said he did not think that tho City Council had power to order structural alterations. A member of the deputation said thut they did not- objcct to the inspection of tin/ milk by the City Council's inspector, but they objected to the City Council's inspectors going on their iarms and premises.

The Minister expressed the opinion that the City Council's inspector did not have any nower to order structural alterations. ' He could not understand the City Council's insnectors interfering in such matters. When a dairyman started selling in the city, the City Council had a ri<rht to insnect the milk, as that was a matter outsid" the duties of the inspectors under the Department of Agriculture. H<> undertook to ascertain whether the City Council had -any exceptional cowers regard in a tho inspection of dairies. He did not understand why the City Council went 011 to the far"-"; unless it intended to buy them. He would see that the matter wn s straightened out, and ascertain •what the statute law "was on the subject. and let the deputation know the result.