Milk Treatment Centre To Be Controlled By Government for a Year

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26905, 18 October 1948, Page 4

Milk Treatment Centre To Be Controlled By Government for a Year

The Government will retain control of Dunedin’s new milk treatment centre for another 12 months. A statement to this effect was made to the Daily Times by the Minister of Marketing and Agriculture, Mr Cullen, on Saturday.

The minister added that this decision had been made after he had met representatives/of the milk producers and the Dunedin Metropolitan Milk Board. They' had failed to reach any agreement on dual control of the centre.

As there was still a considerable amount of money to be spent by the Government on the station, which needed additional equipment and buildings, the Minister said' the control of the centre would continue to be vested in the Milk Marketing Division. Mr Cullen added that plans had already been made to enlarge the station to increase its capacity from the present 5000 gallons to 10,000 gallons. As a result, Dunedin would have its supply of both raw and pasteurised milk all delivered in bottles.

The estimated cost of enlarging the plant was about £70,000, and when this was done, the future requirements of milk treatment in Dunedin for some time to come would be met. The Minister added that the Central Milk Council intended to equip New Zealand with milk treatment facilities which would equal those in other parts of ■ the world. A new station at Hastings was nearly ready for use, gnd others were planned for Balclutha, Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, the Hutt Valley, and Nelson. The stations at Palmerstor North and Wanganui were to be extended.