PAYMENT FOR QUALITY

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26488, 1 August 1951, Page 2

PAYMENT FOR QUALITY

MINISTER ADDRESSES FEDERATION POSSIBLE DECLINE IN STANDARD (Neu; Zealand Press Association; WELLINGTON, July 31. Certain breeds of cattle are finding their way into town milking herds, and in a few years the result of this may become evident with a drop in the quality of milk, with fairly serious repercussions. This statement was made by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr K. J, Holyoake) whep he addressed the annual conference of the Town Milk Producers’ Federation in Web llngton to-day. Mr Holyoake was referring to the system of payment for quality, the introduction of which is being considered. This subject was also mentioned in a letter to the federation from Mr S. W. Smith, Parliamentary Under-Sec-retary to the Minister of Marketing. Mr Smith said: “It has long been the desire of the department that a system of payment for quality be introduced. The present basis of payment m volume has meant that the producer of high quality milk has received he same payment as those who have tot done so well. I would like to see i system of payment for quality inroduced either during this coming ear or definitely agreed upon ana eady to start, at the latest, at the )eginnin<» of the 1952-53 milk year.” Mr Holyoake made reference to black marketeers In milk—those who do not supply through producer associations and thereby escape the responsibility of producing milk at the bad time of the year hut take advantage of town milk prices in the good time of the year. The proposed Central Milk Council would be able to deal with the black marketeers, he said.

“We should arrive at a stage where the black marketeer is not in the picture,” he added. “Then the town milk operators will have a monopoly—and monopolies carry responsibility. With this monopoly you will have • very real responsibility—to supply a good quality of milk all the year round. If the industry is going to be as tidy as if should be, it is important that this responsibility should be carried out.” Mr Holyoake praised the town milk producer, whose work, he said, was not generally appreciated by the public. Last year these people produced 69,000,000 gallons of milk. The town milk price was paid on 59.000,000 gallons. Total sales were 46,000,000 gallons for the towns, and 2,000,000 gallons for school milk supplies, “The subsidy is still at a very high figure," the Minister added. “Last year ft was £1500.000. This year it is estimated to be just on £2.000,000. It must be pointed out that this is not a subsidy to the farmer. This is a subsidy to the consumer, who receives the milk at a cheaper price because of it."