AUCKLAND MILK DISTRICT

Southland Times, Issue 23306, 16 September 1937, Page 4

AUCKLAND MILK DISTRICT

Powers Sought By

Council

SOLE RIGHT TO PURCHASE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTER AND CHEESE (Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, September 15. Tlie sole right to purchase milk for the Auckland metropolitan milk district and the right to treat, sell or distribute milk and cream are some of the wide powers sought by the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council in the Milk Amendment Bill which will come before Parliament at an early date. These powers are particularly far-reaching in view of the rights sought and obtained under the original Act of 1933.

The section which proposes to give the council the exclusive right to purchase milk for the district makes it unlawful, notwithstanding anything contained or implied in any existing licence, for any person to sell milk except to the council or to bring milk into the district except for, or on behalf of, the council. Furthermore it would be illegal for any milk vendor, or other person to purchase milk except from the council or from a milk vendor licensed to sell to such purchasers. It is proposed that the powers of the council to fix, vary or revoke the prices as contained in the original Act shall be extended to apply to the prices to be paid or charged by the council for milk which it purchases or sells, or has treated, in any way. The Bill contains machinery by which the price of milk purchases would be fixed on the proportion deemed to be surplus milk and the proportion deemed to be bought for any particular purpose or included in any particular category of the council’s price-fixing provisions. The right to engage in the purchase, collection, treatment, storage, sale and distribution of milk is proposed in the section dealing with the general powers of the council. BUTTER AND CHEESE It is also proposed that the council shall be permitted to manufacture butter, cheese, casein or any other milk product and to deal in such products. 1116 manufacture of butter and cheese must not be carried on, however, so long as any dairy company with a factory south of Waitemata Harbour and within 12 miles of the chief post office is able and willing to purchase any milk which the council desires to dispose of at a fair and reasonable price. This price is described as not being less than the most favourable price which the company at the time is paying to any of its suppliers for milk to be converted into butter or cheese. The Bill also proposes to give the council the power “to purchase, lease, hire or otherwise acquire land, machinery, plant, vehicles, appliances, patents, goods rights and property of any description including the goodwill of any business and to purchase the shares or other interests in any company engaged in the manufacture of butter or other milk products to which the council desires to sell or supply milk” and “to erect buildings or other structures and install machinery, plant and appliances.” An amendment of the original Act is proposed by which five members of the council, hitherto appointed by the Auckland City Council and other local authorities within the milk district, shall, in the future, be elected by the electors of the district. Power is sought under which the council may, at any time, by a resolution, make a special levy on milk vendors to provide security for the repayment of any special loan and payment of interest on such a loan. The levy may be of such an amount as the council considers necessary, providing that, together with other special levies then recoverable or capable of being enforced, it does not exceed a gallon without the consent of the Minister.