DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL.

Southland Times, Issue 19823, 20 March 1926, Page 9

DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —There seems to be great divergence of opinion amongst dairy people on the marketing" of their produce. Personally, I am very sorry to see so many farmers permitting themselves to be influenced into opposition to selling control of their produce. The constitution of the Control Board is the result of 40 years’ experience of unsatisfactory selling, each factory having’ to wait patiently every season for an offer for its produce from the local representatives of London houses. Without, going back any distance of time, let us take this present season as an example. At the beginning of this season some 13 or 14 factories had an offer, extending over some months, of up to 9fd per lb. for their cheese, whilst there was no offer extended to other factories for some time afterwards. The buyers evidently wanted to see how the other factories take this limited demand. They know from past experience that the factory people get fidgety and anxious and then, I am informed, offers come in of from Sd to 94 d. The Dominion turns out some £20,000,000 worth of dairy produce per year. At 24 per cent, commission this amounts to £50,000, or even the half of that, per cent., comes to £250,000. Yet to any firm or firms who handle that amount of produce we cannot reasonably grudge that profit. But why should not the producer himself make the most of that profit? From time immemorial, possibly from all time, up till now, the agriculturalist complains, and rightly so, that the market price of his produce is always fixed by others than himself, and especially is the case so in New Zealand, where the prices are fixed in another land. This is the first time in the history of farming in the Dominion that a few far-seeing and determined men are putting their own price on their own produce, the outcome being the Meat and Dairy Produce Selling Control Boards.

It is, in my opinion, mean and selfish to hinder and belittle the efforts of members of the board and to grudge them the paltry few pounds they receive for their onerous services. It may be absolutely certain that they think more of the honour of what success they may achieve than they do of their wretched remuneration, because not one member of either the Meat or Dairy Control Board depends on this little bit of income. Every beginning is hard and these of the Control Boards require experience and knowledge which they will obtain if they are assisted by the patience and good-will of the producers. Even the poor old woman who sits behind her basket of vegetables or fruit in the market-place puts a price on her produce. Why then, should not the farmers, in a larger way by combination, put their price on their produce, hand over to the Control Board to do the best they can with the certain knowledge that the result will be satisfactory?

Do those factories who got the top prices for their output know that this was the highest price that could be paid? No. All they know is that they received the highest price going that season. The agitators against control make a lot out of advance ; payments to suppliers. Every supplier knows in his heart that this is humbug, no supplier receiving payment till he supplies the milk. All directors of factories are sufficiently acquainted with the markets through our newspapers that they, at the beginning of the season, allocate the advance per butter fat. They have the goods in their possession which are always worth the market price and they can always count on 46 millions of British people who are in want of that produce. Besides all this, the producers, with equity of their farms, can always guarantee the advances. That is what we did at Gorge Road and Seaward Downs, when we started there. Mr W. D. Mason, xvho is going round the district, is a very versatile gentleman. I made his acquaintance some years ago at Middlemarch. I do not think the farmers will be persuaded to his way of thinking. It will be desirable to leave the members of the Meat and Dairy Control Boards where they are and not find fault with every imaginable trifle. Most producers, too, like some dairy farmers, think the present system satisfactory. They, in their self-satisfied opinion, do not want a change. Let every farmer examine the position honestly and fairly. They should all be proud to assist generously the members of the boards to rise, at long last, to the proud position of having the foresight and the pluck to decide the prices for the world of their produce, which men, their wives and children, working eight hours a day in all weathers, have put into the market.

Stand fast and do not waver from asserting yourself on behalf of the proud class the farmers and their families belong to, and we shall find that the British people will generously respond when they acknowledge that the Dominion farmers want to deal directly with them. Even if some of the produce has yet to be sold through agents the Dairy Produce Board will dictate the prices.—l am, etc., N. A. NIEDERER.