BRITAIN'S PRODUCTION

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 8

BRITAIN'S PRODUCTION

SAVED THE EMPIRE N.Z. SHOULD REPAY BY LARGER SUPPLIES (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. "Their production has been our salvation." said the chairman of the Dairy Board (Mr W. E. Hale), when appealing at the ward conference at Christchurch to-day for increased production to assist the people of Britain. "At one time." ho added, "their position looked hopeless, but they carried on and saved the world^" Mr Hale said that Britain had been a wonderful godmother to New Zealand. When there was a shortage of snipping Britain had agreed to pay half the price of New Zealand dairy produce, whether it was lifted or not, and had paid naif the; cost of the dehydration plants and additional stores. Now the board had pledged the industry to exjtend itself to the limit to secure during the next three years the increased production needed to feed the soldiers of the United Nations and the war workers of Britain. Mr Hale said that circumstances over which the industry had little control had led to a rapid decline in production. The cow numbers were lower than in any season since 1929. Now there had come an urgent call to the industry to attempt to arrest this decline and, it' possible, to increasf the butter-fat production by 10 to 20 per cent, over the next three seasons. Apart from the question of assisting the Allied cause, Mr Hale said, the dairy industry must look to the future. The markets for almost 90 per cent, of iis produce were overseas, and on the question whether th<> industry served or failed those markets in their hour of need might well depend the treatment which the industry would receive when conditions returned to normal. He said the objective was an increase of 10 per cent, in the butter-fat production next season.