POLITICAL NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 30 July 1927, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

DAIRY CONTROL. COMPULSION AND THE LEVY, MR. YEITCH’S BILL. BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL TO THE STAR. WELLINGTON, July 29. A. Bill to eliminate from the Dairy Export Control Act the compulsory clause and to reduce the maximum levy on exported produce to oneqmirter of the present amount was introduced in the House by Mr. \\ . A. Yeitch (Wanganui), who lias been one of the foremost • critics in Parliament of the former policy of the Dairy Board. Realising the slender chances for his measure. Mr. Yeitch took the unusual course of explaining it on moving the first reading • He suggested that, although the Dairy Control Board had abandoned its price-fixing poliev, it had lost the goodwill of the English market. It was a wrong conception of the trade that anyone who was a merchant in a large way was necessarily an exploiter of the consumer. “The speculator does lor the dairy industry what the pneumatic tyre' does for the motor-car ; he absorbs the shocks,” said Mr. Yeitch. Feu- members aeepted the opportunity given by Mr. Yeitch of again discussing the well-worn question, though the Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, contributed a brief discussion. He declared that the Government had followed the policy of trusting the people engaged in the industry. That wa. s clear. Once the producers decided on absolute control he believed there was no room for the Government or commercial interests on the board. While partial control operated, however, all the interests had a right to be represented. Commercial men were entitled to representation alter they had bought the prodigy and any Government that attempted to force legislation on a considerable proportion of this or any other country would soon find out its position. . Hr G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) said be thought the great mistake made by the farmers was in not coming to the House to ask for control legislation. It would have been wiser had they had a voluntary pool to conduct their own affairs. While some benefit might be obtained in the way of insurances, lie could not see how the farmers could achieve success unless they had a vast c o-operative pool to present a united front to the opposing interests. There was no objection to a hist reading, and the Bill was set down for the next stage of hearing on August 4. RIVAL SLOGANS. “You are all slogan and. no party, interjected the Hon. YV. Nosworthy, when Mr Y r eitch was speaking on his Dairy Produce Export Control Amendment Bill . “And your party is all party and no slogan,” retorted Mr. Yteitch. “The Reform slogan served its purpose at the last general election, as it did the trick; then the Reform Party threw it over.” Air. Y'eiteh said he was sure that his policy of “trust the people” would do the trick next time. Of course it was only to be expected that a man who set out to tight a strong, well-organised Tammany party would have to take a lot of knocks, but he would be right on the job.