DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 11

DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

QUESTION OF FIXATION. THE FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD. "by telegraph, —press association.] NBW PLiIiCtTTH. Th'ii^Uy.. "I have never been in favour of the fixation of dairy produce prices in London, neither has the Control Board," said the Hon. 0. J. IJawkcn to-night. "The attitude the board takes up is simply this, that, seeing they are representing the owners of the produce in London t-hfl board has a right to say at what price butter should be sold from day fc© day or week to week. This is' not price fixation in the way it has been interpreted by opponents oi the board. It is simply exercising the us lal owners' privilege. "There is no foundation for the statement that the board will fix-the price for any definite period, but the board is simply taking the part of the owner in London and looking after his interests on the spot. I never have agreed that the factories throughout New Zealand, seeing they aro so far away from the base of operations, should put fixed reserves on their produce because they are not in a good position to judge the htate of the market. The test of dairy control v. ill be the comparative prices received for New Zealand produce as compared with Danish and other butter and Canadian cheeso and that test must exteiid over a reasonable period before the results can be appreciated. It is not the price but the comparative price that will be the test, because prices as a whole depend on the demand and supply which can be little influenced by anj boards."-