MORE MILK

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 4

MORE MILK

BRITISH PRODUCTION

Still further increases, in national milk production will be revealed in the annual report .of the Milk Board to the. annual meeting of registered producers, "says the, .''Dai,ly Telegraph." In 1934-35 the total quantity of milk passing -under the board's control was 912,701,586 igallons'. .' In 1935-36 it increased to 991,312,909 . gallons, an increase of nearly 80,000,000 gallons.

Only 6,300,000 gallons of this increase! went to the liquid :market, in spite of intensified publicity. The rest was disposed of for manufacture, and the average manufacturing price declined by .40d per gallon to 5.52 d. This meant an increase in. the inter-regional levy to meet Milk Board costs and level up prices of .73d per gallon to 1.3d, I and lower pool prices during April, which, afc an average of Hid per gallon, are Id. less than last year.

For the first time- producer-retailers will be, paying ,a le.vy of 4d /per gallon or more in seven regions out of eleven, and. these April prices' have come as rather a shock.

One other disappointing feature in the report is the- poor response to accredited milk" , production. After a year only 30-per cent. of. the milk produced readies' the accredited standard, which is. a standard attainable by almost^, all" milk producers..-'..'.

It is, true that the capricious manner in which' varying local authorities grant the* necessary Grade A licences and the different' attitudes taken by them , pver{ strjictural,.' alterations is Eiartly to blame, but it is impossible to go rounds the".c.ountry. and not realise that' many" farmersi.whocoulcl attain the standard.\yith.-their,milk are making little or'no"effort"to" do so.

The rest-of ; the-report is a record of steady progress. The administration of the scheme cost: only one-tenth of a penny per, gallon, and. for. the first time in their history, the milk producers have a -reserve 'fund of ,£l,ooQ,ooopehmd;thern. ' >

The.Boaifd has fulfilled it's promise that average pool prices should not differ by,mor.eLthan;ld.pcr,gallon. The actual variation - between -the lowest and highest regions was .98d, compared with 1.17 din 1934-35.