WHEAT INQUIRY Mr Dunshea Questioned About Wheat Committee

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29871, 11 July 1962, Page 17

WHEAT INQUIRY Mr Dunshea Questioned About Wheat Committee

... . The Wheat Committee, although established as an independent statutory body, carried out Government policy on the wheat industry, ;, Dunshea, general manager of the committee, said before the ( ommittee of Inquiry into the Wheat, Flour, and Bread Industries when its hearings were continued yesterday.

.. n ; J r -P’? ns ’ lea was answering questions in cross-examination by i' a " ,*• ’ * a * ,on ’ representing the New Zealand Bakers’ and Pastrvcooks’ leoeration. on submissions presented to the committee bv the Wheat C ommittee three months ago.

The committee comprises Messrs J. H Macdonald < chairman). R G Compton and W C. Stafford Mr Mahon asked Mr Dunshea whether the Wheat Committee operated as an independent statutory body. Mr Dunshea: Independent of whom? Mr Mahon: Of the Govern-: ment. Mr Dunshea: It can’t It carries out Government policy. Mr Mahon: Is it an ad-; visory body to the Govern-' moot, then? Mr Dunshea: No. Mr Mahon said that there 1 was nothing in the regulations setting up the Wheat, Committee to say that it was! to be an administrative board ; of Government policy Mr Dunshea said that the regulations were written! around the Government s de-j s. for stability in the wheat! industry—which was a part ol Government policy Mr Mahon: If the Wheat; C mmittee is merely an ad-' ministrative board, you may, as well dispense with the! representatives of the indus-i tries who are appointed to! the board Mr Mahon said that under | the Beard of Trade Reeulat. which set up the Wheat! C mmittee. the committee; was an independent body j “Have you ever acted as' such?" Mr Dunshea: Not in myi time. Mr Mahon: So. no matter what policy the members of the committee may have, they are bound to carry out Government policy? Mr Dunehea: Yes Mr Mahon then questioned; Mr Dunshea about his previ-| ous submissions that the; Wheat Committee had worked well. Mr Mahon: It is correct that you favour the retention of the status quo? Mr Dunshea: Yes. but it isi a healthy thing for the indus-j try to have an independent, inquiry, such as the one Dow Mr Mahon asked Mr Dunshra,- whether the Wheat; C mmittee had a policy on the milling of flour.

H Mr Dunshea said the policy 'was to get the best quality j flour possible from New | Zealand-grown wheat. Mr Mahon: Is there any i written statement on that? I Mr Dunshea: No ; Mr Mahon: Then that is i your construction of GovemI ment policy. ; Mr Mahon said that the | Wheat Committee’s submisi sions had objected to an i electoral system for repre--entation on the Wheat Committee i “In the present system, if a member of the committee disagrees with the Minister ■responsible for. appointing ,h:m. he can be nut off the j committee?” Mr Mahon iasked. Mr Dunshea: Yes. Mr Mahon: If that is the case, why have representa- ; tives? ; Mr Dunshea: There is every | justification, for it brings ; experienced men on to the ' committee Mr Mahon suggested to Mr Dunshea that the Wheat j Committee’s primary coni sideration was selling all the ; wheat crop grown by farm-i-rs —not the providing of 'high-quality flour for baking ! i This was denied by Mr j Dunshea He said that it; j was important to sell the'

''wheat crop, but the commitr! tee was concerned also with ■quality I Mr Mahon said that no- ' where in the Wheat Commit- | tee’s regulations was there a mention of what quality of : flour the committee should try to reach Mr Dunshea denied that the Wheat Committee was dominated by farming interests. He said that it did not fix prices for wheat—that was done by the Cabinet. Mr Mahon: On the committee's advice? Mr Dunshea: Not solely on the committee’s advice. The Cabinet asks the advice of other groups and then makes its own decision. Mr Mahon queried whether Mr Dunshea's description of ‘‘independent millers” in New Zealand was not an unfortunate term. “A miller can't sell his mill without your approval He can’t even give it away without your approval,” Mr Mahon said. Mr Dunshea agreed that Mr Mahon’s statement was correct. Mr Mahon suggested that jin another sphere the Wheat i Committee also exercised ; full authority. A baker had ito take flour from the mill ‘chosen by the committee.