DAIRY CONFERENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1934, Page 2

DAIRY CONFERENCE

YESTERDAY’S DECISIONS. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, December 14. i The subject of relief to the farm--3 ing 'community, was debated to-day ) at the Dairy Conference. 3 The conference turned down the 3 idea of direct subsidy to cover the ; running costs in favour of the proposals recommending: (1) Abolition i of the present incidence of rural road 3 rating and substitution therefore of . a system by which the user of roads will pay; (2) Lowering of interest rates; (3) Reduction of tariffs. It was also decided to support the I establishment of a Rural Finance Cor- ; poration as recommended by the • Dairy Commission, and to urge that i interest rates on loans to farmers should not exceed three and a-half per cent. A remit urging that, as the present system of hospital rating was inequitable, in that it imposed an undue burden on the rural dwellings, it should be discontinued, and the necessary funds derived from national taxation, was adopted. Unanimous support was accorded a Whangarei remit opposing quantitative restrictions. The opinion was expressed that there should be a thorough overhaul of the present conditions governing the distribution and consumption of New Zealand’s primary products, with the object of making those products readily available to those who required them, and had goods and services to offer in return. It was contended that no restrictions should be placed on New Zealand products without restrictions first having been placed on foreign products. On the motion of Mr R. B. Sutton (Inglewood), it was decided to ask the Government to adopt a universal farm dairy instruction scheme, two-thirds >f the cost to be borne by the Consolidated Fund.

COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS. CHRISTCHURCH, December 14. The three members of the Commis sion of Agriculture, which is to be established under the Act of last session, . are to be appointed by the Government very shortly.- The Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, said to-day that the appointments had, been postponed until the dairy industry had had time to consider fully the Government’s proposals. The New Zealand Dairy Conference was now meeting in Wellington, and Mr Coates would return from Australia, on Tuesday. This would, give an opportunity for the Ministers concerned to consult and decide finally on the personnel of the Commission. There seemed no need to delay the appointments.