WAIKATO CAMPAIGN

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 124, 30 May 1927, Page 10

WAIKATO CAMPAIGN

MR. LYE TAKES THE FIELD

tMr. F. Lye, who is contesting the seat on the board occupied by Mr. Goodfellow, in addressing a meeting at cam- . bridge on. Tuesday, referred to his opposition to the compulsory clauses of the Control Bill when he was in the '■■.. House of Representatives, although the measure has his approval in other respects., In the "Waikato Times".report of Mr. Lye 'a apeech, he outlined the procedure taken in connection with the passage of the Bill through the Honse, and said that when Sir George Hunter reported the Bill to the House it was mentioned that 228 companies favoured control and 183 were in opposition, , He maintained that tho position had been misrepresented to the farmers when the referendum was taken, in so far that a definite assurance had been given that compulsion would be enforced only in ah emergency. He submitted figures dealjng with the results of elections to the Con-. ' trol Board, and maintained that the results showed a steady growth against compulsion. In his opinion the unro- \ ; strained powers conferred upon the board made; the Dairy Control Act one of the most mischievous pieces of legislation . ever forced upon the country. ' Th| candidate said he was a strong believer in the necessity of a Dairy Produce Board, but considered that its efforts should be purely voluntary and co-operative, rather than coercive and compulsory. PROOF OF FAXB DEALING. The ; honesty of the middleman in the industry had been brought into question . in,,- the present controversy, but there was abundant proof that the British trade, both wholesale and retail, had dealt fairly with the producers of this country. The most pornieioua doctrine that every hand was raised against the farmers had been preached. To ■ prove the honesty and sympathy of the British importer he ■had only to mention that throughout the big strike of 1913 the agents representing the English houses made arrangements for a pay-out on the storage certificate, and thus the usual monthly payments were made, available. 'The merchants came to light when they -were most needed. There was a lot of nonsensical talk of the speculator and. the blender. He had been informed, however, by a high authority that blending was an absolute myth, . that all the merchants did was to add - salt or otherwise to make our butter suitable to the taste of the consumers and sell it under their own trade labels. "ABSOLUTE POLLY." The Control Board's attitude had beeii one of absolute folly; and every producer would have to share the cost of it. It was nonsense to say that control must be absolute. It-was not so in Denmark nor Canada. They had «o picture of the Danes fixing a p/iee and standing out for it. In Canada 97 per cent, of the cheese output was sold f.o.b. , In Australia there had been no compulsion and no antagonism. It had been said by-some that if the board had hang ■oa for a little while longer the position would have righted itself. That was all nonsense. "DISASTROUS FAILURE;.'' , The whole business had been a huge experiment and a disastrous failure. The Control Act had been a most mischieyous piece of legislation, for New Zealand was the only country where a British trader, could not enter and buy a box of butter or a crate of cheese. ' As a result, our old customers had been \ dnven away, and we had accumulated Marge stocks, which eventually had to be sold as "stale New Zealand butter,'* while the Danes were stamping their kegs with the date and labelling theirs "fresh Danish produce." So unsatisfactory was the position today that dairy companies did not know > they stood. The Cambridge Dairy Company, for instance, did not know the amount of shrinkage on any crate of produce they had sent away this year. • ' Control enthusiasts could hold theories and try experiments, but the uncrowned kings of the dairy industry were not the men who would have to , pay the piper. The bill had to be footed byr the working dairymen. There' was soon to be a great change. If a verdict of the farmers was given in fayour of a free system of marketing he believed they would get a repeal of the compulsory clauses and that New Zealand would regain the goodwill of the British trader. COMPLICATIONS. Mr; Lye said a somewhat anomalous position had just arisen, owing to the possibility of both candidates- in the ward holding more .or less identical ■views: pn/the question of compulsory marketing. He said that the determining factor from the electors' point of ?iew; would gow probably;-;be the per-

sonal fitness jand qualifications of the candidates. He was confident that electors would bear in mind that he had been a consistent opponent of compulsion, and wonld not tmde,trake rash experiments or attempt to carry out dangerous theories.

Mr. Lye considered that it was on account of the breaking-away of the suppliers that the New Zealand Co-op-erative Dairy Company moved for compulsion. He thought there need be no fear for co-operative concerns if properly managed, and the full profits given to the shareholders. There were, doubtless, parasites at both ends of the industry, and these should be eliminated.

Mr. W. Moore moved; "That this meeting is strongly of opinion that the compulsory clauses of the Dairy Export Control Act should be repealed and a return made to personal freedom of contract and marketing, and pledges itself to work to this end."

A further motion thanking Mr. Lye for his address and wishing him. every succes in his campaign was moved by Mr. Elfick. '

' v The chairman' declared both motions carried. .