PRICES FIXED FOR MILK

Southland Times, Issue 23167, 7 April 1937, Page 4

PRICES FIXED FOR MILK

Auckland Dairy Men Dissatisfied GRAVE RISK OF A FAMINE (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 6. Dissatisfaction on the part of dairy men with the prices fixed frr their product by the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council threatens to come to a head this week, and there is a grave risk that something in the nature of a milk famine in the city may develop at the week-end. Dairy men producing milk for the town supply have frequently made requests for increased prices. It is gathered that they are now prepared to deliver an ultimatum to the council. Several preliminary meetings have been held in milk producing districts and arrangements have been made to hold a mass meeting of dairy men on Friday afternoon. When the Milk Council meets on Friday morning it will receive a formal request from the dairy men’s organization for an increase in prices. Its decision in this respect will be communicated to the meeting on Friday afternoon. Those closely in touch with the position stated that if an assurance of increased prices is not forthcoming the dairy men will automatically decide to stop the town supplies and to send their milk to the dairy factories for manufacture into cheese and butter. On the present allocation of prices fixed by the Milk Council dairy men receive a nomh.al price of 9|d a gallon for their milk. They claim that this price is paid only for a proportion of the milk which they supply, and that the balance is bought at lower rates, reducing the average price to such an extent that it is no higher than that which could be obtained for milk supplied to dairy factories on a butterfat basis. The possibility of a cessation in the supply of fresh milk is viewed with some concern in families where there are young children, and Plunket nurses stated that with over 1000 babies artificially fed under the direction of the society, a shortage of pure milk would seriously affect their work.