DAIRY POOL PROPOSALS

Evening Star, Issue 18101, 17 October 1922, Page 1

DAIRY POOL PROPOSALS

MARKETING UNDER BEST CONDITIONS. SPEECH BY~MINISTER. Reference to Die dairy pool proposals was made by the Hon. W. Nosworthy in a speech at Parapataimra yesterday. Tho Minister said that the Bill which was at present before the Committee of the House was on similar lines to the Meat Control Act passed last session. Behind that Bill was the one idea that New Zealand should he kept in the forefront of the _ British possessions overseas in organisation for marketing purposes. It would bo remembered that prior to last Christmas tho outlook was very blaek. The banks were called on at almost a minute’s notice for about £30,000,000 to save the situation, and that they had dene so, and done manfully, was to their credit. _ The Government had surveyed the_ position from every point of view to see if there was a rift ‘to be found in the lowering clouds, and he had been satisfied that there was no hope of getting any other information than that tho markets were blocked with moat. Ho was not satisfied with the information they could got from London, and it was decided) to take a step in a national direction to test the situation and find out how things were. -After a great deal of opposition from people greatly interested in the business, the Government bad put on tho Statute Book the Meat Control Act, and it was not long there when it was found that there was no meat in the Old Country to block our meat, and that meat was rising and rising, until now it was at a verv payable price. The Dairy Pool Bill was only for the purpose of -giving the dairying people an opportunity of having their own board of advice as to" exactly what was doing at the other side of the world. It was also to work in conjunction with tho Meat Control Board, lo go to the shipping people and point out that they -came, not piecemeal, but united and prepared to make ooutnw tor the carriage of their produce n-t satisfactory to the producers of the dominion. If they worked together t-be-v wou.id be able to strengthen their position ,uui- make their national It til an it had been in the past. He considered that it was to the interest* or duppeio, well, as the interests of produeei®, that we should have our shipments wen arranged instead of fluctuating. It would be to the advantage of the shipping companies, the producers, and the people if the farmers got better organisation. If the achievements of Denmark, which was near tho markets of tha world, were duo to organisation, how much more necessary was it for New Zealand, far from tho world’s markets, to organists? One of the- objects of control was to see that the markets were kept regularly and evenly supplied, not to boost prices so that the people in England could -not) buy our produce. The idea was to get a more solid market. There was no "desire to interfere with thb business, but to organise and keep abreast of the times By such methods only could this country hope lo compote with cotmtri?,s like Argentine and Siberia. Mr W. H, Field also made reference to the pool proposal. Ho said that the mam question was whether there was or was not to bo a dairy pool. They were -trying to got the Bill through Parliament, but it was possible that nothing would bo done till next session. Tho dairy people ha-d to make up their minds whether they wanted the pool or not. There were fifty witnesses waiting to go before -the committee, and if all were to be heard they would have to bo quick, if the Bill was to go through this session.