THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21983, 14 December 1934, Page 12

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

The first day's proceedings of the dairy conference now in session at Wellington was devoted almost wholly to discussing the recent legislation, especially regarding the afnount of control, or the restraints on the freedom of the producer it involved. Two points of very practical bearing were made by the Minister of Agriculture, first that dairy fai-mers could not expect to receive direct assistance out of the public revenues and at the same time remain wholly in control of their own affairs, and, second, that the Government must be in a position to speak for the industry when negotiations with other Governments were involved. It is impossible to dispose of either contention. Either would involve Government intervention in the affairs of the industry. Circumstances being as they are, therefore, the entry of the Government into the life of the dairy farmer has to be accepted, with resignation, possibly, but accepted nevertheless. Consequently, it may be suggested that the most suitable objective for the present conference would be to determine how the measure of control could be reduced to the lowest possible degree, how the greatest amount of liberty could be left to the individual farmer and the industry as a whole. For years past there has been a certain amount of official supervision in the shape of inspection and grading. It is generally admitted that the results have been of great value; nor is it likely that any farmer could show this measure of State control to have been irksome, to have involved any serious inroads on his individual liberty. There is, in fact, a sound case for a stronger system of supervision of this character. It, however, is concerned with the general conduct of dairying, and has nothing to do with the emergency conditions by which its advocates justify the recent legislation. Here the features to watch are that enthusiasm for control and planning should not lead to the raising of an over-elaborate structure that would be a burden and not a help to dairying and that emergency measures should not be allowed to. remain after the emergency has passed away. If the Government and the conference could reach an understanding on these issues, it should be of benefit to both.