MILK SUPPLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24877, 26 April 1944, Page 6

MILK SUPPLY

POWERS OF CONTROL COMMISSION CRITICISED Criticism of many recommendations mad© by the Milk Commission in its report was made at a meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk.Council on Monday. The chairman, Mr. I. J- Goldsiine, said the report consisted meielj of a description of conditions concerning the milk supply as they were 12 months ago. Much that had been recommended might prove quite unworkable, and the present was the council's opportunity to endeavour to guide the interim Jink Office. - iik It had been strongly recommended by the commission tnat dairy farmers associations should have the sole right to supply milk required by the milk councils for the trade. hetlier unanimity could be reached in Auckland T in forming an association was .a matter ol opinion, but the chairman suggested that in such an eventuality one group would have enormous power in Auckland. It might even be that it could force all farmers supplying treatment plants into its body and dictate terms to the Milk Council, vendors and the public. This was sufficient reason for the council to continue the fight for the vesting of authority in the councils and not in groups of farmers. Difficulties Met

The commission concluded that power to purchase all milk be given to dairymen's associations, said the chairman. The council had never insisted on pasteurisation, but had said all bulk milk must be pasteurised and no raw milk sold unless it came from tuberculintested cows. The council had done everything in its power to move the Government in the latter respect, without success. The commission, although strongly in favour of _ pasteurisation, adopted the council's view. _ _ The council was of the same opinion as She commission that no retail milk should be sold, pasteurised or raw, unless in sealed containers, but economic conditions had made this impossible. The commission's view that the price of loose or bottled milk should be the same, compelling bottling, would mean a reduction of twopence a gallon in the price of sealed milk in Auckland. Many things recommended, such as covered stands and refrigeration, had been regarded as necessary by the council, but they were not possible in present circumstances. The commission considered all retail milk should be paid for by tokens, but thought the commission of per cent allowed in Wellington to sellers was too high. This was one of the reasons why the system had not been introduced in Auckland. Such a rate of commission in the city alone would kill such a scheme, as the cost would he hundreds of pounds a week. Both bodies were agreed upon the desirability of an equalisation fund, the power to create which, it was recommended by the commission, should be given the dairy farmers' associations. Again and again the council had stressed the Wet that nothing like 40 hours a week were being worked by roundsmen, and the commission bore this out. Short hours, of course, had a big effect on costs. A Producers' Pool'

Mr. IT. P. Burton said that nothing in the original constitution of the Milk Council had been altered. Consumer representatives had the balance of power. The licensing of producer pools should be given to the council. "I have read the report three or four times and J have found it most difficult to formulate any opinion on it." said Mr. K. B. Stonex. "It contradicts itself in some places, and in others it- is just plain silly." Private enterprise was asked to provide the boards, paint and nails For its own coffin. If anyone thought the distributors could carry on with a margin of 4.5 per cent, he did not. The chairman said the preponderating view of members seemed to be that the council should press for a pool controlled by it, hut the present was not an occasion for the adopting of any resolution. Tt was decided to prepare a case for submission to. two visiting officials of the interim Milk Office on Friday. METHOD OF PAYMENT PRICE AND THE QUALITY The intention behind the recommendation of the Milk Commission that a 4.:} per cent butter-fat test should be the standard of payment to the producer was explained to the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council on Monday in a report by its analyst, Mr. L. S. Spacktnan. The commission had adopted a.s its standard a herd of 40 cows, each producing 500 gallons. While it might be argued that a 4.3 per cent test was unnecessarily high it had to he remembered that the commission had been asked to report. on the securing of milk of "high" standard at "reasonable" prices. The price paid to ehee.se factory suppliers had been adopted as more nearly approximating town supply conditions, and it had assessed at Is <d per lb butter-fat as the measure of computation. This was equal to Is Id a gallon from sheds and herds of accredited standard. It seemed improbable, stated Mr. Spacktnan, that the majority of sheds in Auckland would comply with- the standards likely to be laid down and therefore the. basic average price_ for Auckland producers would be 12.5 d a gallon for milk of 4..'! per cent butterfat. The Milk Council should have no difficulty on that account. Straight-out payment on butter-fat alone was not desirable for town supply, as it tended to encourage production of undesirably rich milk, gave a premium for reduced quantity and increased the cost to the public. On the other hand, payment by gallonage favoured production of low testing milk, which was not acceptable. I'he commission had suggested payment for onehalf the butter-fat at Is 7d per lb., which worked out at 9.5 d per lb. for all butter-fat. In addition, it proposed a "quota" payment for each gallon, varying from season to season, but adjusted so as to return an over-all average of K.;!d a gallon throughout the year. Mr. Spacktnan concluded that a farmer milking low-testing, high-yield-ing cows was likely to get a better return and in order to discourage the milking of these herds it appeared desirable to increase the payment for butter-fat and reduce the gallonage return. Since publication of the commission's report, the guaranteed (trice had been increased by 1.2) d per lb., and the recommended price would have to be increased by a corresponding amount. This meant increasing the butter-fat payment to !0.105d per lb. On a 1.3 per cent butter ffit basis, this would return Is J.2d a gallon or Is 1.7 d for "accredited" milk. MOVE FOR SINGLE POOL TOWN PRODUCFRS' DFCISION Town milk producers who attended a meeting called by the Auckland Wholemilk Producers' Association in Auckland on Monday carried a resolution requesting the executive to take steps to create a single producer-controlled pool along the lines suggested in the recommendations ol the Milk Commission Only a few opposed the resolution, while an amendment, proposed by Mr. P. It. Wyman, that a pool of Auckland milk producers should be formed under the auspices of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, was decisively lost. More than a hundred farmers attended the meeting, over which Mr, H. D. Lambie, chairman of the Auckland Wholemilk Producers' Associalion, presided. Another meeting was held in the Fast Tamaki Hall on Monday night, when over SO suppliers passed aresoiution supporting the formation of a supply association.