DOWNWARD DRIFT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23490, 30 October 1939, Page 11

DOWNWARD DRIFT

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY past season reviewed FARM LABOUR DIFFICULTIES [BY TELEGRAPH—OWN CORRESPONDENT] ■WELLINGTON, Saturday All phases of the dairy industry of tho Dominion are reviewed by the | Dairy Board in its loth annual report for the period August 1, 1938, to July 31, IM9, The board derives its finance from levies of 1-100 th of Id per lb. on butter and l-200th of Id per lb. on cheese, which yielded last year £18,017, providing a total of £19,072, which sum included £1055 received in interest. The levy for 1939-10 is increased to 1-50 th of Id per lb. for butter and l-100th of Id per lb. for cheese. Mr. W. E. Hale was unanimously reelected chairmap for 1939-40. "Many of the. dairy cattle eom- , meiiced the year's production in very poor r-ondition, and tho after-effects of the facial eczema epidemic were noticeable in various directions," states the report.""The output in October, which usually reaches a very high figure, was disappointing. Throughout November and Decomber conditions improved, but from the beginning of 1939 on to approximately the end of March there was experienced one of tho worst seasons for many years for the production of dairy produce. • Drought conditions prevailed throughout tho Dominion, with the exception "of Southland, where an excellent producing season was experienced. "Considering the position generally it is going to he difficult to divert the - downward" drift. There is a falling off f in the number of cows being milked. There has not been the improved production per cow which is an absolute necessity if the industry is to show a healthy'development. "The difficulty, in securing labour find the high costs entailed are un- • doubted factors. Dairying,is losing its . popularity as one of the essential industries of the Dominion. Iho higher wages and shorter hours, with the consequent greater leisure, in other avenues of employment mean that not onlv-is labour difficult to procure, but that dairy farmers themselves are being led to seriously consider turning their attention to other classes of farming." It is shown in • tho report that higher wages, shorter hours, and overtime payments arc affecting the cost of manufacture of cheeso even more than that of butter.