THE DAIRY POOL

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 129, 3 June 1922, Page 6

THE DAIRY POOL

REPLY TO CRITICISMS.

Mr. T. C. Brash, secretary of the National Dairy Association, in a letter to the editor, refers to Press Association cable messages which, he states,

"continue to show that certain British interests are opposed to the proposed produce control of the marketing of New Zealand dairy produce, and persist in their misunderstanding of the proposal and in the formation of wrong impressions. The tactics are an up-to-date illustration of the old fable of the wolf and the lamb, with the New Zealand producer in the role of the lamb. One of the cable messages gave the suggestion of a certain London butter importer for 'a conference of all parties in an endeavour to develop the industry and improve matters generally by the selection of' the best points in all existing methods of marketing butter, combining them into a scheme suited to the conditions of New Zealand business.' Naturally, New Zealand producers welcome any genuine help in that direction by any London importer, as it is the producers' intention, as soon as their business has been soundly organised in New Zealand,- to consult with merchants as to the best methods'of marketing in London! The Dominion's producers realise that much is to be gained by such common-sense consultation and co-operation for mutual benefit, f.tirly and squarely, r "Denmark's system of control has been brought into this controversy. On this point there could not be a better statement than the one given by My. George Goodsir, of the well-known firm of William Weddell and Co., London, in an address which he recently delivered on reconstruction. Kef erring to ! the dairy industry, he remarked: —'It will be surprising ,if the future does not witness materirl changes in the general conduct-of-that great, trade. The pnrchase by the Imperial' Government of the whole season's output of cheese or butter from New Zealand or Argentine at an all-round price in each case has put ideas into the minds of producers which are likely to bear fruit in the future in the direction of securing some sort of general supervision in each country for the standardising of grades of quality, identity in terms of sale, regulation of shipment, and approximation of selling price, all of which must inevitably tend to the welding of each country's export trade into a harmonious whole, possibly after the fashion of the Danish butter sale, which is very strictly controlled by the consent of the shippers for the general, good rather than in the interest of individuals.' After quoting Mr. . Goodsir's statement at the annual convention of the Eastern Ontario Dairymen's Af#3ciation on sth January, 1922, Mr. J. A. - JRuddick, Dairy Commissioner for Canada, said: 'This is the reasoned opinion of a man at the head of a firm whose business is world wide, a man who is accustomed to thinking internationally and whose' judgment in such a matter is worthy of' the highest respect'

"In this view of Mr. Goodsir, New Zealand's producers will whole-hearted-edly support Mr. Ruddick's comment."