CITY MILK

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 67, 20 March 1931, Page 5

CITY MILK

JVINTEE PEICES

AGREEMENT WITH

FARMERS

It was decided by the City Council last .night that the selling prices o£ milk and cream for the ensuing winter, as from Thursday, 16th April, shall be:—Bottled milk (retail), 6Jd per quart; bulk milk (wholesale), Is 9d per gallon; bulk milk to nearby farmers, Is 9d per gallon up to quantity taken during current summer season; Is 104 per gallon on all amounts in excess; bottle cream (retail), pints 2s 6d, halfpints Is 3d, quarter-pints 8d; bulk cream, wholesale 17s 8d per gallon; to nearby farmers, 20s per gallon.

■ Speaking in support of the Milk Committee's recommendations to the abova effect, its chairman (Councillor W. H. Bennett) said that they had been under an agreement with the Dairy; Farmers' Association for some years in! regard to the prices to be paid for winter and summer milk. These arrangements had proved so satisfactory that the award had been renewed from tima to time. During the three or four years the award had been in existenca the price never fell below Is 6d, except for a short periqd when it fell til Is sd. During ;the last twelve months, however, there had been such a decided slump in milk products that the committee felt that the consumers were* entitled to some concession in tha price of milk, so they approached the farmers, who agreed to arbitration, to* decide what price should be, paid during the coming winter. Mr. E. Page, S.M., acted as arbitrator; with the result that the minimum price agreed upon was Is 4d. That would enable the price to be reduced from 7d to 6sl a quart, a distinct, advantage to tho community.

The Mayor congratulated the com-i mittee. on a settlement on' such an' agreeable basis. While they wished to' get cheap milk, they also desired to d» jnstice to the farmers, who everyone knew had difficulties in the production, of winter milk. The city was selling at a lower price than some of the other large cities, which was an endorsement of _ the efficient manner in which tha Milk Department was being run. Councillor C. D. Morpeth said ihafc as one of the assessors on behalf of the department, he felt that they would be gratified to learn that the department had been heartily congratulated by the arbitrator on the manner in which they had conducteu the arrangements throughout. The arbitration was carried out with the greatest of i amiability on both sides. The price agreed upon would mean a loss of betweea £8000 and £9000 during the winter, but they hoped to pick up in the summer.