DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16367, 15 June 1927, Page 12

DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL

MR. iat LUND'S’ VERSION

ME I’.Yf E Its ItN A LI-EGl' MlSi.i-.Ntl'Sl.N'l \TDiN

ROYAL t t>,\!MISSION WAN'D’!’ED

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, lasi 1

Messrs. Morrison, ,Smith and Morrison, soiieitois tiir Air. sironaiii Paterson, late Government representative on the Loudon agency of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Control Board, today forwarded the following letter to Air. William Grounds, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy 'Produce Export Control B.iaid: “ Dear sir,-—M e write to you as solicitors for and under instructions from Mr. Stron.ieh Paterson, until lately Government representative on the London agency of your board. .Mr. Paterson

has bad brought under his notice various New Zealand newspapers, including the New Zealand Dairy Produce Lxporler, of March 26 last, containing what- purports to be your version of the history of Air. Paterson’s actions in bis capacity as such Government representative. You werC, of course, aware at, the time when you made your attack upon Mr. Paterson that even if he desired to. reply it was impossible for him to, do so for a- period of ;tt least, several weeks. To reply in detail now, after such a- lapse of time, is obviously of very little use, particularly because such reply might- well give vise to further controversy, and again Air. Paterson’s reply to year could not by reason of his absence in England be published until the lapse of many weeks after the publication of vour own statement. Mr. Paterson, therefore, does not consider it- necessary or desirable that be should at- this stage enter into any discussion of the merits or demerits of the price fixation of dairy produce in London. That issue, he pointed out to ns, is already settled, unfortunately at the expense of New Zealand in general, and New Zealand dairy farmers in particular, nor does Air. Paterson regard it as bis concern at the moment to answer what lie regards as specious propaganda by yourself and some of your supporters, whose policy has brought the actual results achieved by price fixation to the dairy industry of the Dominion as a whole, but it is his concern, and it- is for that purpose that the this letter is written, to repudiate what be regards as your gross misrepresentation of bis actions as New Zealand Government representative on the London agency of the Control Board,, and .in that connection Mr. Paterson would welcome an opportunity before a Royal Commission or oilier appropriate tribunal appointed to inquire into the reasons for the failure of the board’s policy of absolute control and mice fixation, of haying his own actions fnilv investigated.

“ Afr. Paterson also desires us to remind you that while you were in London you had several conversations with him under a -clear and definite pledge of strict confidence on both sides. Ho desires 11s In point out Hint for the purposes of your attack upon him you have not hesitated to .refer freely to those conversations. Jll his view your attack contains some complete misstatements of fact. It - distorts arid misrepresents both his confidential conversations with you, and t-he general aims and effect of his work, and it insinuates responsibility on his part for many happenings with which he was in no way concerned. It would be -useless to attempt carry matters further at this stage, because, as we have already Said, Mr. Paterson is still in London, and is unable, by reason of his absence, to continue the controversy with you now,.but lie expects to be back in New Zealand not later than October, and if you then desire any public investigation such as that, for example, which would be afforded bv a Royal Commission. into the affairs of the Control Board, and Die true history of - the. actions of its chairman and certain of its members and of himself as Government representative on tlie London agency, and into the real .causes of what lie alleges are (lie disastrous results of the board’s policy, we assure you that Air. Paterson will bn delighted to join with ■■you in endeavoring to have such investigation brought., about. “In view of (.lie fact that your attacks on Air. Paterson have been of the most, public character, we are insfrucled to hand copies of this letter to the newspaper press, and we are accordingly adopting that, course.”

“ NO MISREPRESENTATION. AIR. GROUNDS WOULD WELCOME COMM rssiON. WELLINGTON, last night. Interviewed to-night on the matter, Mr. Grounds made the following comment: “There has been no misrepresentation arid no misstatement of fact-, and if a commission of inquiry could remove the liann that has been done T would gladly welcome it, but the damage can'' never be repaired. T shall be prepared for the fullest investigation at any time.”