MANY PROBLEMS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18579, 13 December 1934, Page 13

MANY PROBLEMS

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY PRODUCERS CONFER ADDRESSES BY MINISTERS NEW ACT DISCUSSED (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. Fifty delegates attended a Dominion conference of the dairying industry today under tRe presidency of Mr. W. A. lorns, chairman of the Dairy Board, at which a large number of remits relating to the Agricultural (Emergency Powers) Act will crihie Under diseiission.

The chairman, in introducing the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, Minister of Agriculture, suggested that, he had not. lutd too pleasant a time lately. Probably some of the legislation, laid been misunderstood. ’The Minister was not present, however, to deal with criticism, but the speaker would answer any questions from the chair.

Mr. Macmillan, in opening the, conference, said lie did not know whether the ’misunderstandings' were due to want of knowledge or the deliberate efforts of interested people to mislead those in thci industry. The conference should recognise that the legislation had been passed, arid that it Was the Government’s intention to appoint an Executive Commission of Agriculture. He asked the delegates to devote attention to the enabling provisions of the Act, because the Government would appreciate a lead from the dairying industry. In the past, the Agricultural Department had carried out the dairying industry’s wishes, and even went further than the statutory power which existed, .though Parliament had endorsed the regulation which had been attacked iri,tlie Supreme Court tying suppliers to factories for 12 months. s }t had been suggested that the Government intended to do nothing for farm and ’dairy instruction, but the proposal was Taken out of the original Kill before he considered that to charge the industry two-thirds of the cost, the Government paying one-third, would, under present conditions, be too heavy a load on the industry. He would like some resolution from the conference, suggesting that possibly twoThifds of the cost of dairy instruction should be paid by the Government, arid the remainder by the industry.

Uniformly good quality was needed when every farmer, expert or otherwise, lumped his product With others. Therefore, farm dairy instruction Was essential. He was riot in the least ahead of the times 1 in saying'that the charge slibnld be borne by the consolidated fririd, .bririause the instruction was just h's 'valuable to the country as assistance to technical ’schools arid colleges! The' dairy conference had carried a resolution for local marketing in 1933, and legislation would have been brought, down'but for the fact that the Government realised that a comprehensive measure woujd be needed following the ftoyal Commission. It was, therefore, included in the last Act. Having read the remits, he saw nothing to which he could take offence. He took no exception to the advocacy of a subsidy on production, but to advocate this and at the same time declare for ICO per cent, control by the industry was childish, because no Government would find £5,000,000 or £6,000,000' and not take control. ‘■'The" conference passed a motion of sympathy with Mr. Dynes Fulton in his illness, arid it was announced that Mr. W. Grounds had been unable to reach Wellington owing to the North Auckland floods.

Mr. lorns, the'chairman of the board, in moving the adoption of the annual report, surveyed the increased dairying production since its inception 10 years ago, arid declared' that its objective had been to reduc'd the cost of production, which had fallen’, but nowhere near the fall in prices. The board worked closely on London advices to regulate shipments, and figures showed a great improvement, with a consequent avoidance of gluts and a steadying in prices, tlmrigh they still fell short of perfectiofoii ""

Re presented detailed comparisons oi the' cost of freight, insurance, 'and cold storage since the board’s inception, showing that the freight reductions now equalled nearly £500,000 annually, while the insurance savings in 10 years amounted to £450,000, and cold storage savings to £52,500. On all these items, the boat'd had saved £1,750,000. The board liad spent £166,000 on advertising, and although prominence was sometimes given to New Zealanders’ criticisms that

they saw no advertising activity for New Zealand products when they visited England, lie had been told on a recent Australian visit that they wished Australia could get equal publicity. The conference quickly adopted the annual report in order to promptly consider the -emits on the Emergency Act, Mr. F. Waite (Dunedin) moving that the Act be so altered that the producers"

representatives on the Executive Com-! mission should be the nominees of the Dairy and Meat Boards respectively. The mover declared that the Execu-

tive Commission was absolutely necessary. Difficulties had arisen between the Meat and Dairy Boards over boner, cattle, bobby calves, and pork. Some cO-ofdimttiug b'ddy was necessary, and the boards, who know their own members best, should have the right to select their member, not necessarily their chairman. He believed that the Government would accept such a proposal, though the Act provided for direct selection; by the Government. M>\ W. Lee (Dunedin) seconded the resolution.

Mr. Macmillan assured the conference that in operating the Emergency Act the Government would consult the industry. One reason for not adopting the board chairmen as commissioners was that the Government thought it important' enough to be a one-inan job, paid by the State. This would conflict with the principle of a man also holding u hoard chairmanship. The Government would not depart from the principle in the Act. The commission would state its point of view to the hoards concerned, and would not override them. The hoards’ view would he conveyed to the Cabinet for consideration when tiie commission submitted its

proposed Orders-in-Oouucil. They had an instance of the necessity of eo-ordin-(ttion when it had to he decided early iii July that no more beef and veai should be shipped. This coincided wHh the time when calves were horn, and it was necessary to kill them to sectire veils for the use of the cheese industry. There must be organisation to deal in trade matters with other Governments, arid be kVhs'able to adlc the GfivtlrnMent for an expenditure that it Would be impossible to impose on a depressed industry. Mr. Begley (Heretaunga) declared that if the industry had to pay the expenses of the commission, it should have a voice in the selection. Mr. Sexton (Pukekolic) suggested facing the whole issue boldly; • h fl'e moved a Pukekohe remit, us an amendfii&hl’v meeting is opposed'to the whole policy of the Emergency Act,