DAIRY BOARD AGENCY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19606, 7 April 1927, Page 10

DAIRY BOARD AGENCY.

MR. PATERSON RESIGNS. CHANGE IN THE PERSONNEL. t Mp. WRIGHT'S' APPOINTMENT. " IMPOSSIBLE TO CARRY ON." By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received April 6, 5.5 p.m.) i. and N.Z. LONDON, April G. Mr. Stronach Paterson has written to the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir James Parr, resigning his position as Government representative on the London Agency of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board. In a covering letter Mr. Paterson says he discussed the matter, fully with the Prime .Minister of New Zealand, Mr. J. G. Coates, in November. Ho quotes his letter to Mr. Coates of November 8, in which he suggested that the only course open to him was to continue to work as opportunity might offer for such a modification of the machinery of control as might mitigate against the bad results he feared, and for breaking down the prevailing hostility' to New Zealand dairy produce; also for the re-establishment, of the goodwill and co-operation of all branches of the dairy produce trade in England. Mr. Coates had agreed to this. Mr. Paterson also quotes a letter he wrote to Mr. Coates on December 28, in which he said he was content to carry on his duties as long as he had Mr. Coates' confidence. Of this Mr, Coates assured him, and expressed a wish that he should carry on, with the understanding thait Mr. Paterson should continue the policy outlined on November 8 That policy had since been scrupulously followed. In December Mr. Paterson says he informed Mr. Coates that it would be impossible for him to carry on if Mr. J. B. Wright were appointed to the London agency. He fully explained his reasons for that. As Mr. Wright was now appointed from the date of the departure of Mr. lorns and Mr. Motion, toward the end of this month, Mr., Paterson asks Sir James Parr to convey to Mr. Coates his desire to resign his position forthwith. The appointment of Mr. Sfronach Paterson as the New Zealand Government b representative on the London agency of the Dairy Produce Board was announced at a meeting of the board on June 26, 1926. The terms were, a three months' engagement terminable by three months' notice on either side. Mr. Paterson was to attend all agency meetings and to "keep in close touch with all the actions contemplated or carried out by the agency." His salary was fixed at £IOOO a year. At a meeting of the board in January the following resolution wijs carried: — "That the Acting-Prime Minister be written to and informed that Mr. Paterson, the Government's nominee on the London agency, is not supporting the policy of the board, and is making the position in London very difficult, and the board considers that Mr. Paterson should be retired from the agency." On March 12 the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. 0. J. Hawken, replied stating that the board's representations had been carefully considered and that "the Government is satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Paterson has discharged his duties as its representative on the London agency, and. in the absence of evidence, cannot see its way to take action in the direction suggested in the board's resolution." Mr. Paterson is a member of the firm of A. S. Paterson and Company, qf Auckland.