MORE CHEESE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 125, 28 April 1941, Page 10

MORE CHEESE

NEXT SEASON’S NEED

BRITAIN’S REQUIREMENTS.

At the Northland ward conference of the New Zealand Dairy Board at Whangarei, the chairman of the board (Mr W. 15. Hale) traversed many matters of vital concern to the industry at the present time and gave delegates a confidential outline ol the present position. Mr Halo indicated that because of the priority which was given to cheese over other classes of produce it was essential that increased cheese production should be secured next season, and the only question that awaited settlement was the quantities that Great Britain required. The board felt that before going ahead with plans for next season it would bo desirable to have a definite objective of so many thousand .tons of cheese, and it was hoped that in the_ near future Britain’s requirements would be made dear. That was the first fundamental point to be settled. Mr Hale thought that- it would really bo much lietter if the matter could bo decided at once, for though he personally believed that the Government fully intended to live up to its promises and to purchase the, whole of the dairy produce made next season, a definite announcement would he helpful, particularly if they were called on to reorganise the industry to produce more cheese. * QUESTIONS OF BOLTCY.

Tf the rßitish Government desired a further substantial increase in cheese output he knew that the industry would he right out to do the job. There would, however, be some fundamental questions of policy to he followed in the years following the war, aiitl he thought that the best plan would lie for the hoard to formulate a policy and then call together a Dominion dairy conference to consider it. An undertaking on the part of the New Zealand Government that it would pay for the whole of next season’s production was also necessary. Obviously the industry could not plan its future operations' unless it knew what the Government’s purchasing policy was to lie

Tlie board had been in touch with the Minister of Marketing (Hon. J. G. Barclay) on that point, and while no complete and clear-etit statement had as yet been made, Mr Hale believed that it was the intention of the Government to live up to the spirit of the Primary Products Marketing Act and pay for all the produce which was mamifactnnved. As delegates knew, Government ownership of the produce, was assumed at the f.o.b. stago, and a very serious situation might arise for the industry in the event of lengthy storage prior to shipment. The hoard had suggested that the basis of payment should be 50 per cent, after the produce bad been six weeks in store, and the balance after it bad been three months in store. The Minister of Marketing bad not agreed to that suggestion but bad replied that the Government recognised a special obligation to the dairy industry and that if conditions were abnormal the Government would discuss the matter with the hoard.