FARMING NEWS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

FARMING NEWS

-By

H. A. S.

On April 27. 1934, the Dairy Industry Commission was gazetted, the members being—The Hon. F. V. Frazer, Judge of the Arbitration Court, who became chairman of that as of the present Commission ; Mr. S. A. Duncan, dairy company secretary, Hawera, now a director of the Executive Commission of Agriculture; Mr John Gilkison, a prominent business man of Invercargill, with interests in farming; Mr. W. A. lorns, former chairman of the Dairy Board; and Mr. D. O. Williams, then economist to Massey College, and now a director of the Bank of New Zealand.. The Commission was instructed to report in seven weeks, on June 16. It eventually reported in 54 months, the report being issued on October 17. As the present' Commission was announced a month later than the former one, and faces equally as great a task, it would be reasonable to presume that its report will be available by mid-November. It appears improbable that Parliament will be still in session then. If that is so, what relief does this Commission promise the sheep industry for the season to come? The Dairy Commission found its task infinitely greater than expected. The original reporting date of June 16 was extended on June 18 to July 31; on July 30 to August 31, on September 3 to September 30, and on October 1 to October 15. More than three months were required to hear evidence alone, from May 9 to August 14, during which time 193 witnesses were heard and written communications received from 262 persons. Such was the task of that Commission, and I know from personal experience how very hard-working that was. If the present Commission investigates and studies with a like degree of thoroughness, it will be long before it reports.