DAIRY REGULATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 5

DAIRY REGULATIONS.

THE CARTERTON MEETING. (To the Editor.) J Sir,—ln his speech at Carterton to the Wairarapa dairy-farmers on tho dairy regulations, tho Hon. R..M'Nab, Minister for Agriculture, mado no practical explanation why such a drastic code of laws had been devised by his Department, and then hurriedly withdrawn and amonded almost out of recognition; The Minister did say, however,'that he was not: a practical dairy-farmer, and could not bo expected to know the ABC of this important branch of the industry. The main lines of his address were confined to the statement that regulations; were necessary' in order to secure the manufacture and sale of a first-class article; Nobody, will cavil at this declaration. The trouble with the dairy-farmers was the crooked, crabbed, Chinese method by which these regulations were launched at the inoffending, dairymen, and the severity and ignorance with which they were being put into operation by tho officers :of Mr. M'Nab's own Department. Granted that the Minister has no practical knowledge .of the industry, the officers who drew, out the regulations, and those' also who were on inspectorial duty, should have had more than a . nodding acquaintance with the business. Apparently they did not altogether possess this knowledge, and the Minister must take, his share of the blame. The Minister's defence of the imposition of the fee of 10s.' per herd of more than 20 cows was, to say the' least,. lame to a degree. The clause states distinctly in the, amended regulations'the registration fee shall be:— ,(a.) Not more than three cows in milk, Is. per annum. • " •• • ' ~ (b.) More than three, but not more than 20, cows in milk, ss. per annum. (c.) More than 20 cows in milk, 10s. per annum. ■ ■ _ ■ • : , At the meeting at Carterton, Mr. A. M. Wilkinson, of Featherston, and one of . the most practical dairy farmers of the Dominion, declared'that the Minister had. promised. at the Palmerston conference that' the fee in any case should never be more than ss. per herd, and the Minister did not contradict the statement, although ho at first attempted to pass it by. Apparently the' Minister for-, got his promise at the Palmerston conference, and attempted to retain the obnoxious' imposition which is still causing indignation among.the dairymen, all oyer the. country. It would seem also that Mr. M'Nab has had this portion'of the!administration of the Department taken out of'his own hands by the statement of Sir Joseph Ward at Palmertson last week that the tax in any case would not exceed 1 more than ss. per herd. The statement of the Primo Minister was almost a vote of no-confidence in his own Minister, otherwise why was not the change'made in the amended regulations? The meeting was asked to carry by acclamation (an old political dodge to. prevent discussion) a vote to the effect. that it considered that the Department, was, doing its best in the interests of the industry. Otherwise it might have added as an ■ amendment "and.doing it at times— badly." The whole history, of.the manner in which the regulations were fired' at' the, farmers reeks with a careless and almost criminal ignorance I 'which one would not .'expect in any sane administration which should have the cause : of tho. farmers at heart.... The regulations were first brought'down without, any .reference' to: farmers., They, wero conceived in .ignorance,: and born;in spluttering despotism, and their, fate,was wholesalo mutilation! When almost'an insurrection had been caused, the farmers themselves were callcd in to prescribe and advise. Then when the amended regulations were made they were not distributed in pamphlet form; as they'should have'been, throughout.the dairying districts. Why;, were' tjoeyinoti spnt in ..bundles .to the various' diiiyy' factors P. '-This *itf 'the question which farmers are asking now and were asking at, the meeting in Carterton.. "Is this the man nor.: in which, the Departmentstudies the dairy farmers? Then; again, tho meeting at Carterton was called to discuss the ■ amended regulations, which it had .only' seen half-an'hour before the'discussion commenced. .Regulations aro.required, but they should be dealt with intelligently; and it is in this direction that , the ' Minister and his Department have failed lamentably.—l am, e :°'' DAIRY. FARMER. Featherston, October 24.