CHAIRMAN CHALLENGED

Northern Advocate, 7 April 1927, Page 4

CHAIRMAN CHALLENGED

LIBERAL LEADER’S OPINION

BUTTER POSITION OBSCURED.

FIGHT MAY RENEW.

(Special to ‘‘Northern Advocate.”) t AUCKLAND, This Day. The Auckland “Star's” special cor-

respondent wires:— Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., makes the following further observations on the position of the Dairy Control Board: “Mr Grounds becomes more interesting as the position develops. Hitherto, carefully prepared reports on dairy control have led us to believe that the utmost harmony prevailed,between the Control Board and the British merchants. . We were told that regularamicable round-table conferences were being held and that all was well and on the whole the published prices were satisfactory. ‘ ‘ Suddenly the truth broke through and we discovered that, while thequoted prices were satisfactory, the produce was not being sold. The truth was being withheld from the public of New Zealand for tactical purposes and* in fact, the British merchants, with whom the board claimed to be working amicably, were incensed by the price-fixing tactics and domineering attitude of the board and refused to buy.

j ‘ ‘Now an angry ‘Mr Chairman' in- " j forms us that to give up the fight,. i which a few days ago we were ini formed did not exist, is madness. ApI parently the chairman is not very in{forested in the fact that had the j fight gone on a few thousand farmer® j more or less would have, been driven jto insolvency. This is a mere circum- ! stance to the maintaining of absolute {control of the farmers' produce., i “We have now reached a critical j stage in the fight against compulsion. I The board's abandonment of pricej fixing may prove only a temporary j yielding to the pressure of, public j opinion which can be rescinded at any ! time and the fight renewed, j Mr Grounds' words prove quite j clearly that this is what he has in ! mind. He resents the decision of the majority of the board to abandon price-fixation and we may be certain that he wall do his utmost to induce them to return to it. Furthermore, it is quite apparent (that the trade in Britain regard this as j a matter of principle, __ They resent the .violation of a fundamental principle of British liberty as expressed in the j compulsory clauses of the Dairy Ex- | port Control Act. Experience . proves : I that they arc able to carry on their • business without New Zealand produce altogether. “In these conditions it is the duty I of every wise citizen of New Zealand :to bring influence to bear on a determined effort to regain the goodwill * of the trade in Britain by the complete abandonment of compulsion and reversion to well-established, sane commercial principles on which, not only the prosperity of New r Zealand, but the w r hole power of the. Empire has been established." .