NEW SCHEME DISCUSSED

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 22, 25 July 1918, Page 8

NEW SCHEME DISCUSSED

OPPOSITION TO MUNICIPAL TRADING. "I am very much«afraid it will prove a very costly enterprise," said Mr. T. Balliager, president of the Greater Wellington Electors' Association, referring, (a a conversation with a Post reporter, Ito the City Council's municipal milk scheme. ■ Even now it ha 3 been suggested that a necessary outcome of the scheme would be the acquisition by the council of its own farms in order to ensure absolute security of supply. That in fteelf would mean a very large expenditure. Personally, whether on or off the City Council, he had always been opposed to municipal trading concerns. The loss, if any, always fell on the ratepayers, and, further, the council did not always take into account the overhead charges on the running of a business. Again, in connection with municipal control there was a great danger of so increasing the number of municipal employees that they would be able to return councilors who would be amenable ■to their wishes or eventheir demands, which might result in a very serious condition of affairs so far as the general body of the ratepayers was concerned.

For those reasons he considered that such a business as milk supply should be undertaken by the Government. In the first place, to ensure the supply being brought into the city in a proper condition and at the necessary hours railway facilities and proper rolling stock would have to be provided. That was the business of the Government, and without the Government's wholehearted co-operation the scheme would faU.i They had also to consider the point that the further away from (Wellington was the source of supply the greater would be the cost of .carriage of the milk. Ho wanted to know if that matter had been carefully enquired into by the committee.

Mr. Ballinger added that he wan strongly of opinion that the milk should be brought into Wellington in sealed cane. That might bo'in the scheme, but nothing was said about it in the report of the committee. Some few years ago an Act of Parliament was passed giving the council power to insist on sealed «ans being used, but the Act was amended and that section deleted. Why, he did not know. The proposal for the establishment of country stations was one of the best things in the scheme; but even so, he thought it should be carried out by the Government. He also thought the acquisition of the Fresh Food and Ice Company's business was a good move. The company's business was on good sites, and had all the necessary macinery, which could not be procured from, outside at the present time. As to the proposed method of distribution, there was no question that it .would be very much cheaper than at present. He commended the Milk Committee for the excellent work it had done, and concluded by saying that while he himself disapproved of the proposal for municipalisation, the Greater Wellington Electors' Association generally approved of it.