Call to amend Milk Act

Press, 11 October 1982, Page 4

Call to amend Milk Act

Parliamentary reporter An amendment to the Milk

Act. 1967. was needed to restore to the Milk Board the power to fix special allowances for the treatment and delivery of milk, the Lands and Agriculture Select Committee was told.

The chairman of the Milk Board. Mr D. C. Lane, said that the amendment would restore powers the board lost when an amendment to the act was passed in 1980. The 1980 amendment shifted the right to fix general allowances from the Milk Prices Authority to the Trade and Industry Department.

As a result of that, there was some doubt about whether the Milk Board had the power to fix the special

allowances it had set for many vears.

The new amendment would also validate special allowances set by the board since the 1980 amendment was passed.

Mr Lane said that special allowances were set for remote milk treatment stations which could not survive on the general allowance, for milk vendors in remote rural areas who had to travel long distances and to some cityvendors whose rounds were difficult or were more than Bkm from a depot. Eight out of 41 treatment stations and several hundred of the 1200 milk vendors in the country received the special allowances, which were reviewed each vear.

The board's general manager. Mr H. G. Turnbull, said that the amounts paid in special allowances were small. Last year, treatment stations received s64o.ooo’in special allowances, compared to $25 milion in general allowances. Milk vendors received $965,000 in special allowances, compared to $43 million paid in general allowances.

A submission from the Counties and Municipal Association asked the select committee to consider amending the bill further to introduce a uniform price for milk. If a uniform price was introduced, the cost of a bottle of milk would rise bv Ic. which would have a relatively small effect.