MILK SUPPLY IN CITY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21973, 23 December 1936, Page 14

MILK SUPPLY IN CITY

“HAPHAZARD” Mi CRITICISED

DANGERS OF SHOj

Describing the business of mjjt| I tribution in Christchurch as venrel hazard, the report presented tori special City Council committee vestigaton by the producers and Iff dors in support of their reouS® the setting up of a milk controlkiE contains much interesting huterialjß cerning the economic aspect of S production and distribution in th ! The report declares that there iTa!l ous danger that with the intend S’ petition keeping prices at anto-r omic level the return to produces become so low that not come forward for the pflS.l quirements. c "® i Of the two possible solutions to 1 problem, the municipalisation a J distribution and a controlled ply. the report objects to thefcZ on account of the tremendous cost involved, and because thmC* necessity, with so many daitwi? to the city, to go to this. esoJSt suggests that the City set up a milk control board —3?* of tw’o representatives nf rtL BjjPt Association, two from the DaijA? Association, two from or boroughs, and three from the S? church City Council, this board tow legislative authority to control tribution of milk, with power tol2 licenses, and fix the wholesale tail prices. Intense Competition “At present there are 239 vm*L. licensed by the City Council, in at tion to 350 shops." states the cm “Dealing with vendors first, it bS known that there is gqj® tion to obtain and hold trade~i3| order to keep their customers, travel from one end of the city other. One of the main results overlapping is that the petrol, rff tyre dealers are the only people di ing any profit out of the dish-S of milk. In the past, many atSi have been made by voluntary arSS ment to stabilise the price, but ines* case, they have been of no avaO it appears as if anything in the uh of voluntary arrangement to effect® improvement in the distribution! milk is impossible. 1 “In- the way in which the bofe is disorganised at the present tunajS often the producer does not gets and it is quite common for fanßwjl lose anything up to £IOO, cases more, because the vendor tgl been supplying is a man of stance. Assuming that the daily «i age quantity of milk sold retail Christchurch CUy is 5000 gdj with 239 vendors, this makes ana* age of 21 gallons a vendor. If tract from this total those who azef tributing 30 gallons a day and upaiil it leaves a very small percentage £ considerable number who cannot sibly hope to make a living on to a small turnover. i Effect on Equipment “The position as it exists to-day is to farmers are not receiving sufficient! their milk to enable them to iop( their diaries, their herdvor ' fig plant, and have to be satisfied to to their equipment up to the a™™ standard required to pass the repto tions. The same position exists as b as vendors are .concerned, and nay c them are unable to afford suitable di liveries, pay reasonable .wages, e make sufficient profit to enable then to improve their plant or h addition to the above-mentioned be tors, there is now an added cost oe tig industry with the increase in the pda of petrol, aind the probability of increased costs in other directions. iseluding the formation of a union fa employees. At the present tone da bigger companies employing labour c very seriously handicapped by the ops ration of the new industrial regtfe tions which restrict the hfjißS of $6 workers while leaving the small p vate vendor entirely free. “This will ultimately force the Put of the distribution into the bands I more and more small vendors who a free to work any hours. Utei iti taken into consideration that it hi the bigger companies we have to hj to provide more up-to-date plant a better facilities for handling a®c| position needs to be remedied! .ual a rationalised scheme morameacd be employed and better wages p The majority of the public have W little conception of the value of a as a food, and regard it simply as son thing to cool their pudding or cow their tea, and no one in the indpl at the present time has any inters to make them regard it In any « light. Diversion o t Supplies J “In the past there has been nop acute shortage of milk for the w# that butter-fat prices have never ■ known till the season was over P producers of milk few town stff have always had the fear that hersw low the price of milk was button returns would be still lower, anal* continued to produce for townaw The position to-day is very drSew Butter-fat prices are fixed directly the price of milk read* certain level producers will over to the factories owing to IWjg siderably greater cost of pro®** for city supply, with the necessity* winter feeding, testing, more update dairies, and bringing cowsm profit outside the natural period, with a consequent in their productive capacity- * serious danger exists here m« the intense price competition prices at an uneconomic level turn to prbducrs will be so S sufficient milk will not come for the city’s requirements. Among the proposals put the report are steps for the reuuog of licenses by insisting tn« - licensee has on his premises equipped dairy, the solidation of rounds, the of prices, the setting up of * equipped laboratory for the advertisement of the i°°° of milk. , -j “With the elimination « and the gradual consmiow*» rounds, there would be centive for vendors to improve _ plant and equipment, and so give _ g ter quality milk to the the experience of those ® who meet their customers present time, the public an increase in the price of JrriJlrtei quite evident that we cannot under the methods on which been working in the pears that the present is I’Cfeo 1 ’Cfeo logical time to bring alisation of the industry, qgt of the Government towards tn» tion has been conveyed m munications. and is that at time, it has no intention m a., thing in the direction of a stabilised price scheme mr Christchurch except through cipal authorities.”