DAIRY CONTROL BOARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 February 1925, Page 4

DAIRY CONTROL BOARD.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — I would like to express my appreciation of your editorial of the 10th 111st. upon the Dairy Produce Control Board. You plaintly have a. full appreciation of the need of reform from the point of view of dairy producers, the low pay-out that will, be made of necessity to all dairy producers on the 20th of this month will serve to convince them —if any further convincing is requited—of the danger of allowing the present unregulated system to. continue. In the past four years we have had four successive slumps. Each year as our produce has reached the Home market prices have dropped simply for lack of any authority to controL the deliveries for sale, and the price at which the produce shall be sold. Naturally, in view of the suggestion of reform speculative interests are busily engaged in disseminating propaganda as the last effort to prevent the curbing of their past methods. As you rightly say, however, the same thing happened when the Meat Control Board was proposed. That body, however, has been able to carry out its programme effectively and efficiently, and, although the dairy industry is not altogether on the same basis as the meat industry, theie is no doubt that, by pursuing the programme laid down by the Control. Board, considerable benefit will result to the dairy industry as a whole.

I may say that the Dairy Farmers’ Union, which is the body most closely in touch with the actual sentiment of dairy producers, is solidly behind the Daily Control Board in its desire to improve the present position. The executive of the Wellington Provincial Branch gave full consideration to this matter last week, and unanimously decided to throw in its whole weight in support of the Dairy Control Board in any action 'it might like to take to bring into operation the hoard’s payer by the legislature. The time for action, we feel, has arrived. Full inquiry has been made and a sound and sane recommendation made for a course of procedure to remedy the disabilities under which we at present suffer. Fortunately the Control Board is an elective body of dairy farmers. Two of the members will require to be ballotted for in the near future, and. so far as the general producers are concerned, T feel safe in saying that the record of work done, and the stand to improve matters will have a very material bearing on the chance of any member for re-election. This is a matter of life and death to the ordinary dairy farmer. All of us are suffering severely through the present low prices, and many are facing ruination because of it. These prices are a direct outcome of the svstem that has operated for years, and it lias given the speculator prosperity and us poverty. We definitely require an improvement and are determined to have it. I thank you, sir, on behalf of the farmers, for the sane stand vou have taken in this matter. —I am, etc.,

P. J. SMALL. Kairanga, Palmerston N., February 13, 1925.