MILK TREATMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26915, 29 October 1948, Page 4

MILK TREATMENT

COST OF NEW CENTRE ADDITIONS ESTIMATED AT £20,000 To bring the Dunedin Milk Treatment Centre to the stage of handling 10,000 gallons of milk a day—enough for Dunedin’s present requirements—will cost £20,000. The station as it stands represents a capital investment of £70,000. A statement on these lines; was contained in a memorandum placed before the Dunedin Metropolitan Milk Board last night by the secretary, Mr A. E. Russell. The memorandum was the outcome of a conference between representatives of the Milk Board, producers and the Minister of Marketing, Mr Cullen, on October 16. It added that the smaller group of producers, Town Milk, Ltd., had agreed that the milk board should set up a board of management of the station, but the larger group, Dairy Farmers’ Co-operative Supply Company, Ltd., seemed to have its mind set upon some form of company with a capital of £20,000, of which they were prepared to invest £IO,OOO. The Minister decided that the control of the station should remain with the Government for 12 months. Mr L. J. T. Ireland commented that £90,000 seemed to be a great amount of money to spend on a small treatment centre. “I would not like to* have my capital invested in it. There does not seem to be much hope of a return,” .he said. The speaker questioned that the larger group of producers had intimated that it would not enter into the management of the milk treatment station on equal terms with the Milk Board. His last advice had been that it would. ■ Mr W. B. Taverner, the chairman of the board, said that this company wanted equal representation with theGovernment on the board, with no casting vote. The memorandum was adopted.