BRITISH MILK

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 291, 4 September 1937, Page 8 (Supplement)

BRITISH MILK

Marketing Board Attacked QUESTIONS OF PRICE A remarkable attack on the milk policy of the Government was made by Mr. Thomas Baxter, chairman of the £00,000,000 Milk Marketing Board, jn an interview with the “Sunday Express” recently. 3 He was dealing with the Bill to give temporary assistance to milk producers pending the introduction of the Government’s much delayed long term agricultural policy. Mr. W. S. Morrison, Minister of Agriculture, against whom milk producers are specially wroth, was to move the third reading of the Bill. “The Minister of Agriculture has given farmers a really raw deal,” said Mr. Baxter. “We have been done out of £1,200,000. “The trouble arises out of the fact that the Government has consistently refused to place adequate tariffs on foreign imports of dairy produce. “When milk prices tumbled they agreed in lieu of tariffs to guarantee a minimum price to British producers of 5(1. a gallon in summer and 6d. in winter on milk going into manufacture.

“Save for one year producers have received substantially less than those sums, and at present, owing to the way in which the Government calculates the assistance, they have actually become liable to repay money to the Treasury. “Sir Howell Thomas, then Permanent Secretary to the Ministry, admitted these blunders last year, but asked us not to press immediately our claim to the' money owing.

"Now the Minister of Agriculture proposes by legislation to cancel our claim."

The enthusiastic seaside holidaymaker was obviously going for a bathe. His landlady met him in the hall and inquired where he was going. He told her,

“■Well, sir,” she said, brightly, “I don’t say, mind you, that the bathing beach isn’t safe, of course, and I wouldn’t dream of suggesting yotfre not u good swimmer. But. there’s one thing I do say, and that is if you’re going for a dip while you’re here, you can pay me my week’s money in advance 1”