DAIRY CONTROL.

Southland Times, Issue 20537, 13 July 1928, Page 3

DAIRY CONTROL.

To the Editor. Sir, —Truth will ultimately penetrate even the dullest intellects, and the meeting of dairy interests on Saturday last would seem to show that at last the dairy farmers realize that they have been hoodwinked, and the poor fools with stunted vision, who elected Mr Timpany when the election of Mr Fisher would have assured the success of price-fixation, are beginning to demand something more tangible than that costly myth, the “goodwill” of Tooley street. The Southland Times and Mr Timpany have played their part in rendering impotent the efforts of the dairy farmers to secure a reasonable return for their produce but the real culprit is to be found in Mr Coates. History repeats itself, and as Christianity provided Judas with his opportunity, so dairy control provided the opportunity for J. G. Coates, and that gentleman, who a year ago was skulking about London avoiding Mr Grounds and conniving with Tooley street should soon reap the reward of his perfidious action. The following figures from the balance sheet of the Maypole Dairy Company, one of the London firms handling colonial dairy produce will give some idea as to how much the “goodwill” of Tooley street costs the producers. Nett profit for year 1927 £531.418 an increase of £12,489 on the previous year. Dividend for year 17A per cent, which was the same as previous year. These figures show how well Mr Coates has served his friends in Tooley street. The dilapidated and abandoned farms throughout Southland are evidence of his service to the producers. The past season has been one of world shortage of dairy produce yet the return to farmers has been little better than the previous year which was one of glut. But now when most of the New Zealand produce has been sold and is owned in London, the market for butter and cheese has become firm and will remain so until next season’s produce comes forward when the market will be weak and many reasons will be advanced for that state of affairs. The weather will be too hot or too cold, or there will be too much boric acid in the butter or no boric Ccid; and the dairy farmers will be told they must improve the quality of their produce. The Tooley street firms will pay big dividends and Mr Timpany will tell the dairy farmers they have their “goodwill” and “the man that gets things done” will turn another corner. The Southland Times will devote a childish editorial to the necessity of maintaining the Control Board in its present useless and expensive condition and the dairy farmer will stave sixteen hours a day and if he can buy his food and pay his interest will be told he is the backbone of the country. Unfortunately the “goodwill” of Tooley street is not regarded by the banks and other financial institutions as an asset and so the dairy farmer, who, in spite of increased production, finds his returns in hard cash no greater than they were without the “goodwill,” is looking to Mr Timpany to make way for a man who will endeavour to increase the cash returns and dispense with the “goodwill.” The Australian Government has recently placed an embargo on New Zealand butter as being the product of sweated labour and its importation into the Commonwealth as calculated to lower the standard of living of Australian dairy farmers. The Commonwealth Government is to be commended on its attempt to maintain a decent standard of living and its action is in marked contrast to the efforts of Mr Coates and his associates in their endeavours to reduce the New Zealand dairy farmers to the level of the peasant classes of Europe. The first and essential step to improvement in Southland is to secure the resignation of Mr Timpany and though he did not seem inclined to accede to a request to resign on Saturday, further consideration will probably have shown him his duty. He would earn the thanks of the dairy farmers by his resignation and be entitled to say, “It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done.”—l am, etc., RUSTICUS.