MILK BOARDS’ POWERS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27145, 15 September 1953, Page 6

MILK BOARDS’ POWERS

ALTERATION DELAYED IN MEANTIME MEETING WITH NATIONAL AUTHORITY The New Zealand Milk Board (formerly the Central Milk Council) had decided to set up regional offices, taking over on December 1, but to defer the alteration of local authorities for six to 12 months to give.the regional offices time to get into their stride, said Mr W. P. Warner in a report to the • Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board yesterday on a meeting between milk boards representatives and the council in Wellington. Mr Warner said a preliminary meeting of the five boards’ representatives showed that all were unanimous in resisting the national authority’s proP °Mr S W. B. Tennent, M.P., had opened the meeting with the council, and deplored the newspaper publicity given to the proposals by the boards, said Mr Warner. The publicity had made the, position difficult —the council could have “put the screw on them, and the boards would have found themselves with very little power, Mr Tennent had said. The council had never been pro-ducer-dominated, and was a very happy board, Mr Tennent had said. It had found, however, that there was friction between the council and local authorities, and that was the season for the suggestion that producers and vendors should be represented on local authorities. The Pjoposals were from suggestions by the Under-Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, and represented a policy of decentralisation, 'Mr Tennent had SS Mr Warner said all the delegates had attacked the proposals on the ground that they took all power from the local authorities. To a question. Mr Tennent had said the national board would not take power away from local boards. “There were no politics in it—« were a united body, right throughout New Zealand,” said Miss M. B. Howard, M.P. "They were not happy when they found that we were so united. They might raise the matter again in six months, but in 12 months tjiey might not—there will be an election coming up then, and milk on election platforms is dynamite.” The chairman (Mr J. Mathison, M.P.): Particularly in Palmerston North. . _ . Miss Howard: There may be some good in setting up regional offices, provided local authorities are allowed to retain their present status. We have six to 12 months to see how it works out. __ ...... .. The chairman: The whole thing Is very satisfactory, and our representsfives are to be thanked for the work they have done.