Troubles Overcome By Dairy Leaders

Northern Advocate, 24 April 1944, Page 4

Troubles Overcome By Dairy Leaders

A strong plea for a solid and united dairy industry and pungent criticism ol: those who sought to sow disunity in the industry and bring discredit on its leaders, was given by Mr. W. E. Hale, chairman of the New Zealand .Dairy Board, in his address to the Northland Ward Conference at Whangarei.

Suggestions had been made, he said, that because they didn’t have the right leaders, and because they didn't insist on getting higher and ever higher prices from Britain for their butter and cheese, the dairy farmers had lost millions ol pounds. “That’s a popular way to talk,’’ said Mr. Hale, “and an easy way—but it just isn’t true." One of the troubles of the dairy industry leaders during the war years had been that, time and again in the discussions with the Government they had had disclosed to them very confidential information about shipping information which, at the time, would have been invaluable to their enemies because sometimes it related to movements of troops. And sometimes that information had been very black indeed. The situation had so changed now. with the United Nations everywhere on tfie attack, that those who talked glibly about the extra millions they should have got from Britain, entirely overlooked the seriousness of their shipping outlook over a pretty lengthy period 01. the war. Because he believed it was extremely important that they should understand and appreciate the position as it was. he was going to take them into his confidence on one aspect of the problem. Up fill about a year back, the greatest concern of the industry’s leaders and of the Government was whether they could ensure that Britain would be able to provide sufficient shipping to lift their produce. Just » how serious that position Was in 1942 would be clear to them when he told them that in April of that year there were in store 52,000 tons of butter and 39,000 tons of cheese. No Shipping, No Market Those present would probably remember. too, that they turned to dehydration in a desperate attempt to gel away everything they could, and that Britain agreed to share 50-50 in any loss on "surplus” which couldn’t be shipped, but only up to agreed quantities—in the case of butter, 1 1/3,000 tons. In other words, at one stage it looked as if they would fill the stores to overflowing and then have 1o decide what happened next. He wanted to say quite frankly that, under conditions like that, it was impossible for any leaders to force higher prices out of Britain, even if the industry decided it wanted them, hut. at (lie outset of the war the Dominion conference had said it didn’t want high prices, but wanted costs covered. Now that everything had altered it was easy for those who had just been sitting on the side-lines to come forward boldly with ideas as to what ought to have been done. They did the best they could. They faced the problems as they came up, and decided what was best for the industry. They had been a united team right through, and if the industry didn’t think tHeir leaders were the right men in the right jobs, it was up to the industry to icplace them. “But," concluded Mr. Hale, “let us stay a united industry, and don’t let us be led into a disunity that may cost us dearly, simply because of criticism which often comes from those whose only interest is tiie profit they can make out of us—the men who. as we have often put it. ‘farm the farmer.’ ”