DAIRY CONTROL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18946, 21 August 1923, Page 10

DAIRY CONTROL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —It is good to know that we all —• chambers of commerce even —recognise that “better organisation would be beneficial to the dairying industry, and indeed to other industries.” The trouble seems to be that the new organisations suggested by the Dairy Produce Export Control Bill is not acceptable to some interested sections of the community. The faof remains that the dairy producers themselves are the only people who have had the energy—and the interest—to work for improvement. This proposed legislation is on all fours with the Meat Board legislation, with this exception: tiie dairy producers do not ask for financial backing from the State. Curiously enough, we find that the interests which fought the Meat Board legislation are now fighting the- dairymen’s effort at a better organisation of their industry.; Yet in the same speech by the/ president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce wo read: “This feeling had been voiced earlier with reference to meat control, and if the fears then expressed - had not been fully justifid since, it hail been entirely owing to the caution exercised by the Meat Control Board, and the way in which it had refrained from exercising its autocratic powers. There could be no guarantee that the same wise caution would be exercised by any board sot up .in connection with tho control of dairy produce.” But why? Dairymen have gained much experience in the past 30 years in regard to buying and soiling. Tho bogeys raised by commercial men do not influence experienced dairymen. Dairymen know that their piecemeal attacks on anomalies and injustices in the past have not been successful. And that is the reason for the great swing-over in the South Island in favour of control. Last year the South Island people investigated the proposals, and turned them down; this year the great majority support it. We live, and learn by experience. Mr David Jones, of tho Meat Producers’ Board, has testified that the compulsory powers of the Meat Board hayo been of the greatest value in secyring the undoubted improvements they have obtained for the producers. It does not follow that because one has the power, that one must always be using It. It is effective simply to have that power. Of what use is a powerful navy to a diplomatist? He does not need to wage war to obtain his reasonable objectives. But the other follow knows the power that can be mobilised, and used if necessary—for extreme cases. The Dairy Produce Board may never need to use its powers—either “absolute or limited.”

As you observe. Sir, it will bo interesting to seo what the Labour Party decides to do. It may be'that the Labour Party will do what the other parties are doing—for there may not be a solid Reform vote, nor a. solid Liberal vote, cast in favour of the Bill. Neither will it be purely a case of town v. Country members. But if the Labour Party docs range itself on the side of the primary producers, it'may bo largely because the chambers of commerce have rushed to assist those proprietary; interests who are furnishing the very active resistance to the legislation proposed bv the primary producers., i our correspondent. Mr Mason—for whom I have the greatest respect—surely must realise that .this question of “control” Has been before the dairy farmers of the dominion for two years now. It first appeared as the “pooling scheme,” and as such was turned down by the committee representing the South Island Dairy Association. Now wo h.avo the “control” scheme, whicn has been at length wherever dairy tamers congregate. The figures and arguments have been published many times, and there is an overwhelming majority in favour of “control.” Mr Mason suggests that the Farmers’ Union meetings are not worth taking notice of—that the Farmers’ Union is not representative,of th« dairying induslry, and refers to the Dairy Farmers’ Union that has sprung up in the North island. .Well, Mr f’obbe, president of the Dairy Farmers’ Union, has stated officially on bennlf of tile Dairy Farmers’ Union that it js absolutely in favour of control. True, they proposed certain amendments, but when they saw that tile opponents of the Bill wore making capital out of those suggested amendments they at once closed up their ranks ansj said, ih effect, if these amendments of ours will at all jeopardise the passing of the Bill, “we drop the lot of tnem!” That is the attitude of the Dairy Farmers’ Union, which Mr Mason suggests represents {lie real dairy farmers. But let measure my Middlemarch friend that the Otago Farmers’ Union does represent the dairy farmers 6T Otago, and represents them well. Pity it is that in some districts farmers are so blind to their own welfare that they do not organise solidly in their own interests; for the rest of the' world is organised, and, the unorganised l are suffering all along the . line. The Farmers’ Union, in Otago and nil over Now Zealand, stands solidly for the proved Meat Producers’ Board and for the proposed Dairy Produce Board. Wo hear that individual dairy farmers are not being consulted. As a matter of fact. it»is difficult to put the case and have an expression of opinion from scattered and isolated dairy farmery. But where the position is fully and carefully explained dairy farmers are practically unanimous in its favour. Even in Taranaki, where, for reasons well known to the initiated, there

is organised opposition to the Control Billeven in Taranaki the case is not hopeless. Mr Corrigan, M.P., who is a member of the Dairy Council, was twitted with the fact that hia directors would not risk a general meeting to discuss the Bill. Well, Mr Corrigan accepted the challenge, with ihe result that he was able to go back to Wellington and report that the suppliers of his company passed a resolution unanimously m favour of the Bill. And that is the experience of all who take the trouble to really understand the proposals that is, if their interest is that of the genuine dairy farmer, and not of the shipping or commercial man. (In passing, I do not wish to suggest that some co-opera-tive company directors here in the south are not honest in their objections to tho ■scheme: on tho contrary, I know some, of them for the irreproachable characters they are; but I do suggest that they have been unconsciously influenced by the imposing parade of bogeys (hat has been marshalled before them by interested opponents.) Having met most of those who are the leaders in favour, and also those who are loading the campaign in opposition, who will also have an opportunity of getting on the council, I feel sure that when “dairy control’’ has been working for a year there will be no more fault to find with a careful Dairy Produce Board than there has been with tho Meat Board. So far as it can be worked out—and we’ have gone to a great deal of trouble In th e matter—when everything has been reduced to terms of butlerfat. the result is as follows for all New Zealand: — Antagonistic to control ... 14.3 per cent. Not antagonistic ... ... ••• 85.7 percent. And included in the 14.3 per cent, antagonistic are the 9814 tons of proprietary butter and the 1367 tons of proprietary cheese. The proposed Bill, being, of course, a logical development of the movement in the dairying industry. One word on the “genius of British trading.” When the old firms were not organised as they are to-day, farmers got something approaching a fair deal. Some of these firms still exist, and have the confidence of farmers. But to-day both tho producers and th e consumers are aware that some organisations in between are getting the easy profits 'with the minimum of effort but with a maximum of manipulation. There is a new genius at work today among the English-speaking peoples—that of co-operation. Many mistakes have been made. Trained leaders have been lacking. But a new generation has grown up —a generation that hag had to measure itself against the most highly-organised in the history of the world. The mistakes of tho past will guide this new movement in the -future. Organisation and a fuller cooperation is the essence of everything today. Tho “genius of British trading must learn to adapt itself to tho now conditions of to-day. There is ample room for all of us—producers, consumers, and the necessary transporters and distributors. I am, etc., Feed. Waite. Wniwera South, August 18.