DAIRY BOARD SEATS

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25638, 29 October 1948, Page 8

DAIRY BOARD SEATS

SUGGESTION OF WORKER REPRESENTATION ANOTHER SOUTH ISLAND MEMBER WANTED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 28. A suggestion that dairy farm workers and dairy factory workers might be given direct representation on the Dairy Board was made by Mr A. C Baxter (Government, Raglan) during the second reading debate in the House of Representatives to-day on the Dairy Produce Amendment Bill. He invited members of the Opposition and also the leaders of the dairy industry to consider .his suggestion. Mr Baxter and several Opposition speakers agreed that there was no need to have two separate authorities: the Dairy Board and the Dairy Products Marketing Commission.

Mr E. B. Corbett (Opposition, Egmont) said that when the Government representative on the reconstituted board was appointed consideration should be given to the South Island, which under the present elective system had only one member. He would like a more satisfactory method of selection of the industry’s representatives on the Dairy Products Marketing Commission. At present the industry could nominate two persons for each vacancy, leaving the Government to make the final selection. It would be more democratic if the directors of dairy companies could vote directly for one appointee as required, rhe Dairy Board had given general satisfaction in recent years but an exception was that it had not been frank enough about recent negotiations on price adjustments. The industry on proved costs asked for an increase of 3d per lb on butterfat and the commission finally gave .84d.

Mr S. W. Smith (Opposition, Hobeon) said farm workers had a right to a say in the fixing of their incomes, but they exercised that right during negotiations over their wages, and butterfat prices took the wages agreed on into account as a cost factor. It was doubtful if there was any need for the direct representation of farm workers on the Dairy Board. Factory workers similarly were heard during the Arbitration Court negotiations on their wages and that appeared sufficient. The bill was read a second time