DAIRY CONTROL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 February 1925, Page 7

DAIRY CONTROL.

(To the Editor.) Sir.—The report of the proceedings at the meeting of the Dairy Produce Export Control Bo.ard last week presumably supplied to the newspaper by the secretary—makes such a scanty and ambiguous allusion to the proposal for the assumption of ‘‘control” by the Board that room is left for many alarmin'o- assumptions and speculations. ‘lhe members?’ a paragraph in the report runs, “devoted a considerable portion of their time to a discussion of the report submitted by the Overseas Delegation, and eventually unanimously decided to establish control and set. up a London agency. The extent of the control will be determnecl at a later sta<*e. It was also resolved that as far "as possible dairy produce shall be marketed through the present channels, but final distribution must be with trie board. The London agency is to consist of two members of the board and the Government’s nominee, and a London commercial manager will, be appointed.” Though J am not directly interested in either the manufacture oi the sale of dairy produce, 1 must conless I am confused and a little alarmed bv these vague .statements concerning an industry of great national co.nsef|UWhat is control and what is a London agency? If the control be has in mind is of the same character as trie cont rol, of the older and more experienced Meat Board has established all is well and good. The Meat Board, after the closest investigation ol all trie lac s and (iron in Stances of the case, has assumed control of the quantity ol meat shipped each month, aim m Hus uav maintained prices at a reasonable level satisfactory to sellers and buyers alike. Of course this is not the only thm the Meat Board has accmnphsbecl, though perhaps the ktabilisiffg ot tlie market is the most important ot its achievements. In addition it has secured reductions in freights and insurance ; provided for grading meat “and for its inspection at ports oi shipments a,nd discharge; supplied authentic propoganda and the consumption ol New Zealand meat abroad, and in a. score ol other ways has rendered invaluable service to the producers and the Dominion. But it. has rigorously abstained from meddling with the actual buying and selling of meat, and thus, to the advantage of all parties, avoided any sort of conflict with either the shipper here or the consumer at Home. Again, wliat is control and what is a London agency, in the language, oi the Dairy Board The constitution and the authority of the Dairy Board aie practically tlie same as the constitution and the authority of the Meat Board. Both boards have statutory power to regulate shipments and to control absolutely the shipping and the marketing of the farmers’ products, ihe Meat Board has demonstrated plrnply that it can best serve the interests of producers by confining its efforts to the activities it already has instituted without friction and wth a very large measure of success. But there is a rumour abroad to the effect that a> majority ot the members of the Dairy Boaid, tot content to follow in the well considered steps of the Meat Board, are bent upon, exercising forthwith trie authority they have to "take charge .of the farrngrs butter and elieese at the factory door and to handle it as they please till it reaches the retailer at Home, Ihe legislation which conferred this authority upon both the boards was never intended to be exercised in this fashion. The supporters of control, including the Minister of Agriculture, and 1 think, the present chairman ot tlie Dairy Board, reiterated again and again that tlie authority was, being taken merely as a safeguard against the machinations of unscrupulous shippers and speculators, who. might attempt to rig the market against .the producers. It was on this distinct understanding, implied and expressed that this unprecendented authority except in trie case of the Meat- Board—was given to the Dairy Board, and now, so it is rumoured, certain members of trie board are striving to bring trie authority into operation without any of the interest it was intended to safeguard being even threatened. “ All this conjures up the spectacle of two members of the board, a- Government representative and a “commercial manager,” with no more business knowledge- and equipment between them than is possessed by an average clerk, sitting in a palatial office in Loud tin and controlline destiny of the Dominions most important industry, which hitherto has engaged the attention of many of the best commercial brains in the Empire. There are only two trained and experienced business men on the board, and it is not likely that either of these could abandon his interests here to .go to London. The Government’s nominee might be a civil servant standing first on tlie Commissioner’s list for promotion in the Mines Department or the Justice Department. and tlie “commercial manager, it is predicted, would be tlie London representative of a dairy company who told his principals a little while ago ■that thQ recent slump, which to most people seemed, inevitable two or three months before it came about, i\a.*f unexpected.” Surety the Government, which, happily, lias the last word in the matter, will not allow such a crazy experiment to be inflicted upon a section of the com unity which already has suffered sorelv, and still is suffering, from havirig entrusted the administration of its commercial affairs to well-meaning pcopl-c ’insufficiently. . acquainted with the customs, intricacies and perils ot commerce. T am etc.. SHAREHOLDER IN STATE. .Wellington', February 5. 1925.