DAIRYING INDUSTRY

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 June 1933, Page 4

DAIRYING INDUSTRY

REORGANISATION PROPOSALS MR F. H. ANDERSON’S CAMPAIGN A PRE-CONFERENCE SURVEY. The lack of effective organisation iu the management of our dairying industry is again coming into considerable prominence, and important suggestions to improve plotters will come before the annual conference of the industry to be held this, month m Hamilton.

Commenting on these proposals, Mr F. H. Anderson, charman of the Cambridge Co-operative Dairy 00., who was for two years chairman of a committee set up by the industry to deal with the question of reorganisation, states:

“An improvement in organisation should bring about substantial; improvements in quality, and it is to be hoped that those responsible for making the conference’s decisions will weigh very carefully the merits of any proposals for a greater measure of efficiency and co-ordination of the different units of the industry. The economic condition of the industry (and ‘ the country’s dependence upon its welfare, demands that no opportunity should be lost to minimise tho inherent weaknesses of the. .present dual system of political arid ; - selfgo i eminent of the industry.”

Outlining the proposals, Mr Anderson said that ‘ ‘ the primaryobject was to establish the principle that all units of the industryshould work up to the Dairy Produce Board and that the Board itself should be the point of contact with, the Government, thus obviating the present system of individual units making their representations through Government channels. ’ ’

Whether the Dairy Board under its present constitution of the democratic vote should be given that responsibility was, of course, a controversial issue; but the larger issue was that there was an urgent necessity which should be faced up to immediately, by the industry, and that was to coordinate its efforts tlirough its own existing organisations, so that it could quickly reach that state of efficiency in quality "matters that its customers overseas demand. The existing regulations under the Dairy Industries Alet and the new regulations just gazetted for the improvement of quality could in the - ultimate best be applied to the industry through the coordination and backing of its organisations rather than under the present system, which carried the handicap of political control.

DAIRY DIVISION’S PART. It was recognised that the Dairy Division must always exist for inspection and grading purposes, but the Dairy Board as a co-ordinated body could materially help in enforcing internal regulations and insisting on fair play amongst the manufacturing units m the industry. As a typical instance of '.ensuring, this fair play, the Dairy Board should be able to. have access to, and publish for the benefit of the industry, the annual' average of each factory’s produce, so that the privilege of the national brand may not be niis-nsed by exporting units. Denied such publication, the industry finds itself in the position that there is no necessity for factories to bestir themselves* as all produce realises to the factories about the level of the market for the national brand. Consequently it- is the level of our lowest grading factories which must be definitely raised, and the present system of administration lias not been capable of bringing that about. RESEARCH CO-ORDINATION. “Research work in dairy problems is in urgent need of co-ordination with the producing and manufacturing sides of the industry,” continued Mr. Anderson. “it is interesting to note the commendatory remai-Ks expressed throughout the industry on the very excellent treatise issued by Professor Riciclet, of the Dairy Research Institute, and Dr. Marsden, of the Research Department. The necessity for such co-ordination is freely expressed by these scientists throughout their publication, and it seems imperative we should not only commend their criticism but act, and that quickly, on the progressive lines they have indicated.

“It is exceedingly regrettable, however,.that the industry should, find itself in such a position that its leaders welcome such a fearless criticism of -it as has just been referred to.

“Research work, to be successful, must be freed from the irksome system which is at present hampering it so far as the dairying industry is concerned, and that would appear to be possible were the Dairy Research Committee an incorporated body working under the Dairy Produce Board. “The main point at issue is whether the industry is going to stick to its present ' system of organisation—a system which is getting it nowhere — or decide for some definite reorganisation which will raise the efficiency and quality If we decline to have anything to do with quotas we must resolutely make up our minds that the quality of our produce is going to be such that it will favourably compare with the best quality of dairyproducts imported by -Great Britain, and also the production of the Home producer.

“There may have to be compromise in the industry on minor issues, but these must not be allowed to stand in the way of the all-important question of an effort to raise the price level by improving quality. It. is to be hoped that the industry can in a con•lliatory spirit face up to the task of the reorganisation required.”

Mr Anderson will address the execu T tive of the Taranaki Federation of Cooperative Dairy Factories at Stratford on Monday evening.