DAIRY INDUSTRY CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 228, 21 June 1920, Page 5

DAIRY INDUSTRY CONTROL

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Hundreds of men in Now Zealand to-day have given, during the logt five years; high prices for dairy farms and cattle. These men recognise tliat the dairy industry is parsing, through a critical period, and it depends absolutely oil the pay-out for burter-fnet during the noxt yoar or two whether the work of a lifetime is .swept ajvny. In all great crises, whether it ba Governments pr industries, that are affected, one naturally looks to the herd men who are directing affairs. Therefore, in the case of tho daiiying industry in this country, we naturally look to the heads directing it, and that is, the body of gentlemen who are at tho head of tho National Dairy Association. Granting all due respect to the business capabilities of these gentlemen, I wouid liko to ask the dairy farmers of this Dominion whether it is .lumanly possible for men to accomplish the tremendous amount of work they fire undertaking, and do justice to this ;;reat and growing industry P [We omit a lengthy list of companies and public bodies' with lyhich our coyrespondent states members of the executive of tin} National Dairy Association are associated. He proceeds]: I say ( can these gentlemen reasonably be expected to look after all these undertakings, and direct the destiny of the greatest industry in New Zealand—worth something like .£12,000,000 per anniunand do it successfully. We liavo the land, the best climate, and our cattle are amongst the best in the world. Therefore, I say, let us perfect our organisation. In the. past, judging from t]ie recorts of pieetinca held throughout the land, our affaifs liaye npt 'peen handled with advantage. First, tlio butter-fat tax, then the sale of cheese, then fhe sale of butter, then he equalisation scheme, tho amount of precious time and money wasted at thousands of meetings throughout the land, showed ,up our weaknesses. Now. the scheme to ioin us up with tho Co-operat-ve Workers' Society seems to he the greatest "dud" of all. Times have changed, therefore let us take stock. Reconstruct the whole National Dairy Association, link up the North and South Islands, and make it a true national concern. Appoint a director—a real, livo man— whose whole time will be devoted to our industry, who will have different departments under him. A "Home man will be required, who has been through the business circles at Home, and has had the practical experience, and a man with force and drive, a real organiser, and give him a free hand, and pay hini. It would probably cost, say, <£5000 per year for such a man; say it cost us •£50.000 per year to run the whojo show, for a business of the magnitude of the dairy industry this would be a paltry sum in comparison to the enormous losses now sustained by the makeshift way we are drifting along. We should have a special advertising department, for without the Press we know nothing; an inquiry department so that wo could know what was taking place all over the world; and an instruction department, to find out the great difference in the yields in cheesemaking, when there is a loss of half a million per year (it least; a veterinary department, and, ill fact, there is practically no limit to tho enormous possibilities of well-directed action in all departments of this splendid industry. Thisting somothing practical will bo done at tho annual meting, to he held at Palmorston North next 'week, and thanking you, Mr. Editor, for valuable space.—l, am, etc., WILLIE J. FREETH. Pukearulio, North T'aranaki.