Politics and Dairying Inseparable

Northern Advocate, 27 July 1938, Page 11

Politics and Dairying Inseparable

In the opinion of Mr S. W. Smith, chairman of directors of the Bay of Islands Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, the dairy industry has become so wrapped up with politics that it is impossible to avoid mention of the latter in a review of a dairy company’s activities. Addressing the annual general meeting of shareholders of the company at Ohaeawai yesterday, Mr Smith appealed to speakers to refrain from voicing political views at the meeting. Election, Day the Time. "The past year has been one of great, interest to the industry, this being the second year under the guaranteed price for export butter,” said Mr Smith. “We have also had the local butter market brought under Government control. “Let me say at this stage that, with the whole industry wrapped up in politics it is almost impossible to avoid some mention of something that can be construed as political views. I am of the opinion that the whole position today has boiled down to a political one, and, as such, every supplier can, and undoubtedly will, express his opinion at the right time and place—the ballot box. It is no intention of mine as chairman of the company to express national political views, and I request that other speakers today will follow that lead. “Definitely Wrong.” “However, in connection with the local sales of butter: as you probably know, the position is that they must not net us more than the export parity. This, I Avould say definitely; is wrong. It means that the local consumer is obtaining a benefit at the expense of the dairy farmer. We know that when the export value in England is greater than the guaranteed price, the industry gels the benefit of 1 that. As an instance, we have ihe latest payment by the Government of a rate equal to id per ib on exported butter. But with the local sales there is no redress. The butter is actually I paid for and probably eaten. I hope • that the price set for the coming year j (for local sales) will allow for this ! position, and that a margin definitely in favour of the dairy farmer will be [ paid for local sales, as in the pasi, A Right Denied.

“It is not my intention to dwell on the detailed doings in the industry during the past year. I feel sure that ■pvery one of you has followed closely the happenings in connection with dairy farming, as our existence as dairy farmers is dependent on the factors of production and the receiving of a remuneration that ife a payable one. I think that we can congratulate ourselves, on having received a fair representation on the committee set up to I’ecommend a price for the coming season, and certainly on the appointees of the industry in whom we can feel assured of faith in their ability to handle the job on our behalf. And it will certainly be to our benefit, as in fact our right, that we shall be able to secure a report on the findings and be conversant with the data on which the price will be based —a right that has up to the present been denied us.”