BOBBY CALF TRADE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22343, 5 March 1938, Page 18

BOBBY CALF TRADE

*—. NEW SCHEME UNDER DAIRY BOARD SUBMISSION TO FARMERS FOR OPINION (miBS ISSOCIiTIOH TELEGRAM.) V/ELLINGTON, March 4. An interesting statement about the organisation of the bobby calf trade was made by the Minister for Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) to-night. "Arising out of a resolution passed at a recent Dominion conference of Jhe New Zealand Dairy Board," said Mr Nash, "I convened a meeting of representatives of the Government, the New Zealand Dairy Board, the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and the New Zealand Co-operative Pig-Mar-keting Association to consider and recommend to me a plan for the better organisation of the bnbby calf trade. I informed the committee that before submitting any plan to Cabinet for consideration I would require to be satisfied that the opinion of the dairying industry was substantially m favour of its adoption. "The committee advised me that, though in the past the competitive system had led to prices being paid that were sometimes in excess of the real value of the product, this consideration was outweighed by the advantages of a more orderly system that would return to the farmers the true market value, and would effect considerable savings in transport and other costs.

"The committee at the conclusion of its discussions recommended a plan under whTch the New Zealand Dairy Board is to be empowered ot organise o. national co-operative system of local pools for the collection and disposal o£ bobby calves and all bobby calf products. The powers which would be lequired are: To define the local pool areas; to organise management committees in pool areas; to supervise and control the operations of pool com : mittees; arranging the collection and transport services, and the disposal of the calves and all calf products to the best advantage of producers within individual pool areas: to recommend the making -of such levies as may be required to meet the costs of administering the plan: and to have such ether powers as may be necessary to give full cfiect to the plan.. System of Pools

"The committee considered that if this plan were adopted the pool committees would act in their own districts ns agents of the board, and would assume full responsibility for (he operations of their pools. The New Zealand Dairy Board would in practice intervene only if a condition (U emergency arose, when it would be in a position to assume full control of the operations of any pool. If the plan is endorsed by the dairying industry and approved by the Cabinet, the method by which the necessary authority would be vested in the New Zealand Dairy Board would be by the delegation of powers under the Primary Products Marketing Act. 1936." Mr Nash has written to dairy companies asking to obtain the views of a meeting of suppliers on a draft resolution which he has prepared. The Minister said that the decision of the farmers was required with some urgency, as if the voting is in favour of the proposal the Dairy Board would immediately require to complete its organisation to enable the plan to operate during the coming season.