"NONSENSE"

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 3 November 1926, Page 6

"NONSENSE"

TALK OF PRICE-FIXING

DAIRY CONTROL BOARD'S POLICY

COMMENT BY MINISTER.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, 2nd November.

"I do not care to 1, make any comment," said the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. O. J. Hawken, when the report issued by Mr. T. M. Timpany concerning the cablegrams received from the Prime Minister and others respecting the policy, of the Dairy Produce Board was referred to him. "It does, however, appear to me to be a pity that the affairs of the board should be made public in such a manner. If a statement is to be made one would think that it should be mado by the chairman of the board, and not by a member after the meeting is over. That is just my view on the subject generally, for I do not know the circumstances that have led Mr. Timpany to take the action he has." The Minister said the Government did not interfere with the work of the board. The Control Act had been/ passed by Parliament, and the board had been established, and it was now its business to carry on the work for which it had been created. The board was a business concern, and it must conduct its business along the accepted lines. He agreed that there might bo something in the suggestion that its policy and work might probably have been more clearly understood if fuller information were given at the time of the board's meetings. During the period he had been a member. of the board there had been very little that could not have been made public, and the meetings of the board cou. i quite easily have been open to the Press. Of. course there were matters that it would not be in the interests of all con* cerned to broadcast, but these could have been taken in committee.

SLUMP NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

Mr. Hawken said he was not disposed to view very seriously the present slump in prices for New Zealand dairy produce, nor was he inclined to be pessimistic concerning the future of the industry. We had many Blumps in butter. "This slump," he said, "has been caused oy some factories holding over their produce, and in the aggregate there has been too much butter held over. How much is now in .-store, or how much is being sold from week to week is not known. Under the board this could hot have, happened. The board would know to a box how much butter was on the market, and how much was coming forward. It would have accurate statistical infor-: matiori, which is more than the industry has had in the past.

"All this talk about price-fixing and rigging the market is nonsense," the Minister contended. "There was never any suggestion of it when I was on the board, and there has been no departure, so far as I am aware, from that policy. The board knows that it has to sell each season's produce, and with the information at its disposal concerning the sales, that are being made and the amount of produce that is available or coming forward, it will know, what price toask.-: If that.price. is not obtained it will have to create a market/ either by reducing the price a little, or by improving the demand by advertising. The point is that it must sell during the proper season. It is always bad business to have old stocks on hand when the new season's produce arrives on the market."

The opinion that the board should be given an opportunity of carrying out its policy was expressed by the Minister. It was only to be expected, he said, that there would be some opposition to the establishment; of absolute control, and he thought that one« the board was carrying out its policy to the full the opposition would die. There had been a groat deal of agitation when thj board was ab .t to make the first money advances under control, but the board had won through, and. the farmer was now receiving his money just as he did before. In thif connection it must be remembered that Tooloy Street makes the advances according to market prospects.