MILK VENDORS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25288, 23 August 1945, Page 7

MILK VENDORS

FUTURE PROSPECTS COMPULSORY BOTTLING Information regarding the future prospects of milk vendors was sought from the director of milk marketing, Mr H. H. Innes, in a question put to him when lie met the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Vendors' Association yesterday. The president. Mr A. Thompson, mentioned the Central Milk Council's proposal to take over treating houses and said it had irtade vendors feel uncertain about the future. Mr Innes replied that vendors' prospects were quite good as far as his department was concerned. So far as private vending was concerned, this depended on the local authorities. To a speaker who suggested that men who knew the industry should be on the milk boards, Mr limes said the consumer should know what was good or bad for him. It was his elected representative who sat on the board. Mr Innes said he could not indicate what the future of treating houses would be. The central council had expressed the opinion that treating houses in the four main centres should be publicly owned, and what would happen would depend on whether the central council, after local inquiries, endorsed that opinion. After Confirming the statement that the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer. had said that the Government intended to have all milk in sealed containers, Mr Innes said he thought the Minister was referring particularly to household deliveries. He doubted whether compulsory bottling would be enforced for a long time. Mr Innes said he would make a definite recommendation to each of the local authorities for the compulsory membership bf vendors in their associations. He agreed that it was unfair that a section of the vendors should have to pay the costs of negotiations and other activities which benefited the whole group. To ensure that production was given a sound basis, an agreement was reached with producers a, fortnight ago to give them a guaranteed price for the nominated annual requirement, plus a further 10 per cent of that gallonage, said Mr Innes. The overall price this year would be 14.80 d a gallon. There was ft penalty of Id a gallon if producers failed to reach the nominated amount. "In doing this for the producer, we are doing a lot for you, in that we are trying to guarantee you a source of supply," said Mr Innes. "I do not know of one word in the Act which says that the central authority can deprive you of your livelihood."