AUCKLAND'S MILK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22392, 13 April 1936, Page 11

AUCKLAND'S MILK

YIEWS OF MINISTER DISTRIBUTION AND PRICES HINT OF MUNICIPALISATION DISCUSSION WITH DEPUIATION An outline of his views on the milk situation in, Auckland was given on Saturday morning by the Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, after a deputation representing fresh milk interests and a section of the consumers had waited on him. Mr. W. T. Anderton, M.P. for Eden, and the Hon. F. E. Lark, M.L.C., were associated with the Minister, while Mr. A. S. Richards. M.P. for Roskill, also was present.

"Some interesting information has been brought out in the discussion, but there is a fair amount of confusion and contradiction," said Mr. Parry at the conclusion. "The system that has prevailed is no longer in keeping with conditions in our city. There must bo a transitional stage before the ideal state of affairs is reached." Somebody would get hurt or displaced from his occupation in the process, but the policy of the Government was that other avenues of employment should be found in such cases, said the Minister.

The essential points were that people must have milk, supplied under the best possible conditions. The customer must have a sufficient income to allow him to buy enough milk for his family's needs. The supplier must receive" a fair return for his services. The milk must be delivered in the most economical way. As for the claim that this would cause unemployment, the answer was that_ it was absurd to employ people digging holes in the beach and filling them up with sand. To an interjector who asked if he did not approve of competition, the Minister said where competition had become detrimental to both consumer and producer, then it must be replaced by organisation.

Near By Tanners' Viewpoint The leader °f. the deputation, Mr. *• Welsh, said he could speak fQv the whole of the fresh milk interests in the district, supplying 34 per cent of the residential trade. Thev "were greatly perturbed over the Milk Council's operations, and asked that the Government should not consider any further legislation until it was satisfied there was a need for it. They "'ere quite willing to agree to municipalisation, provided they had the same privileges as had the near by farmers at Wellington and Svdney. Delivery direct from the producer to the consumer was the most economic method of distribution.

Mr. C. Mills said the farmers near the city had spent their lives working up businesses, and then, when the price of butter-fat fell, men from further out, on cheap land, came on ta town supply, and now there was a move to take away the identity of the near by farmer in favour of those further out. Compensation would not overcome the problem of those men whose livelihood was taken away. Fresh milk producers were supplying a better article as regards keeping quality. It had been argued that the bacteria counts were not better, but, owing to the time and manner of taking the tests, they did not tell the whole story. The near by farmers' expenses were much greater and it was not a fair thing that they should get the same price as farmers on cheaper land. They merely wanted to be left as they were, and not have anything further taken from them. Mr. Richards: Has not the Milk Council pledged itself to give you a price equal to what you have been getting over the whole year? Mr. Mills: Not in writing. Mr. Richards: Then I have been misinformed. -

Opposition to Fooling Mr. C. M. Peck said if near by farmers were forced" to pool their milk with that for the whole district, and share the surplus, on which only but-ter-fat payments were madq, their average return would fall so low that they would havg to walk off their farms.

Mr. Parry: If the Government came along and wanted to buy your farm to put houses on it, I suppose you would worry very much, would you? Mr. Peck: I don't think that is likely for a while yet. " I hola no brief for the council, but I do not go all the way with what the deputation says," said Mr. Richards. There was something to be said for the council's attempt at organisation, and it had not been more successful through lack of co-operation.* He know of people who did not make a living out of the present system. They just eked out an existence. Things like that should not continue. At the same time he thought it a very reasonable request that the near by farmers should not be put on a quota. He knew it was true many of them had spent their lives working up their businesses. Minister Questions Deputation When it was stated that consumers' representatives wished to speak, Mr. Parry said it seemed to him there were two separate interests present. He wanted to know from the producers whether, if they received a guaranteed price, to give a fair return service they were rendering the community, they would concern themselves further with what was done with tho milk after it was bought from them. One of the deputation said they wanted to be able to vend the milk as well. In many cases it was necessary for them to do so to make a living. Mr. Parry: Xhen you would say that the whole organisation of the distribution of milk should be based on the small farmer, with a few acres of land? Mr. S. McKay, who said he officially represented about. 200 consumers in the Avondale district, said the public objected to interference with their rights. They would not take milk arbitrarily assigned to them by private individuals. They would not object in the case of municipal supply. Mr. Parry: But if the Milk Council is trying to organise the. district and eliminate unnecessary overlapping, is : that wrong t There are four milkmen coming past my place. It is foolish and wasteful.

Mr. Richards: Is it not true that consumers were bought and sold without their knowledge long before the Milk Council's time? Mr. McKay agreed with a suggestion, by Mr. Lark that his objection was' based on dissatisfaction with the man-! ner in which the Milk Council wan elected. ,

It was contended by another member of the deputation, Mr. A. E. M. Dunningham, that the whole idea of consolidation of distribution was based on an economic fallacy. There might be a saving in wages, but this was balanced by a decrease in purchasing power. When Mr. G. Day was supporting! Mr. McKay's remarks on behalf of con-! suiners, Mr. Anderton asked whether, it was inferred that the council had not)' improved the milk. The quality at present was better from a health, and every other point of view. Voices: No. Mr. Parry said personally he thought the only alternative to the course pro-' posed was municipalisation. That must 1 come, and he agreed it must be democratically controlled. However, ho expected other deputations would wait on him or on otbti Ministers, and_ the Government would take into considera-rj tion the cases made by the various sides very carefully before embarking oil anjf legislation. £|