MILK SUPPLIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24951, 25 June 1942, Page 7

MILK SUPPLIES

Sir—The attention of the Dairy Farmers' Co-operative Milk Supply Company Ltd., has been drawn to certain statements appearing in the issues of your paper of June 16 arid 17. In your issue of the 16th inst., when commenting on the question of regular milk supplies to schools for the winter, the Minister of Health ascribed the difficulties to the demands of the camps, winter feed, and bad weather. He also said that the organisation of the scheme was more difficult in the South Island owing to the fact that no producers organisation existed with which the Government could Unfortunately as regards production the Minister does not tell the whole story. He does not mention that the average price paid locally for milk supplied to the city of Dunedin is lower than the average cost of production as set out in the figures prepared by the Department of Agriculture when it made a recent investigation. The assertion that a producers organisation does not exist is incorrect as far as Dunedin is concerned. Our company, which is a co-operative one, was registered in March last, and was due to commence operations on the 22nd inst. Its existence is known to the local officers of the Department of Health, and also to the Agricultural Department and its Minister. One of the main objects of our company is the encouragement of the production of winter milk. It is pleased to see that' the Minister of Health at last realises the necessity for obtaining increased winter production, and there can be no hesitation in saying that as soon as local dairy farmers receive the same treatment as regards price as their colleagues elsewhere the increased production will be rapidly forthcoming. The shortage of winter milk existed before the war. Its root cause was the fact that the producer did not receive an adequate price.—l am, etc., For the Dairy Farmers' Co-op. Milk Supply Company, Ltd. A. E. Shieffelbein, Manager. Dunedin, June 18.

[The above letter was not received by us until yesterday, June 24.—Ed. O.D.T.]