A MILK COUNCIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21561, 4 August 1933, Page 8

A MILK COUNCIL

Tho City Council decided last evening to support the establishment of a metropolitan milk council, and appointed a committee to find ways and means of setting up this body. The remarkable feature of the discussion which preceded the decision was the entire absefice of reasons why such action should be taken. There may be many good reasons, but members produced none of them. It was not shown that the milk supply to the citizens the council represents was inadequate in quantity, deficient in quality, or too high in price. There was absolutely no suggestion that the people who elected the council had demanded its intervention in a business carried on by private enterprise. One member spoke of new vendors corning in and cutting across the path of established firms. Is this any reason for action by the City Council? Will it come to the rescue when business of every other kind is irked by competition ? Another brushed aside the suggestion that the people were enjoying a cheap milk supply, and said there might easily be a milk famine in the future. On what data that prediction is based it is impossible to say. If nothing more were known than could be learned from the council's discussion, the reason why anyone should be concerned about the milk supply would be beyond guessing. The actual facts, about which there is no secret, are that those most affected by and concerned in milk supply conditions are, for the most part, not in the city at all. Strictly speaking, their fate and fortunes are not the business of the council. If any body is set up to reorganise the milk supply the council might well be represented on it to watch the interests of consumers, especially regarding prices. It might do what it could to help outside areas also. But the case for the council taking the initiative, which it seems inclined to do, has simply not been established.