AN INDEPENDENT TRIBUNAL

Southland Times, Issue 23438, 19 February 1938, Page 19

AN INDEPENDENT TRIBUNAL

FIXATION OF DAIRY PRICES DISCUSSION AT WARD CONFERENCE An assurance that if the dairy industry desired to have an independent tribunal set up to fix the guaranteed price he would discuss the matter wtih the Cabinet was given by the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. W. Nash, when opening the ward conference of the New Zealand Dairy Board at Wellington on Wednesday. The conference subsequently discussed a remit suggesting that the fixing of the price of dairy produce should be arrived at by a tribunal presided over by a Supreme Court Judge, and that such tribunal comprise an equal number of appointees from the Government as purchasers and the dairy farmers as sellers. It was decided to refer the whole question to a special committee. The Minister said the Government was not wedded to the present procedure, although he still thought it was the best for the industry. However, if there was a feeling that an independent form of tribunal would be better, he would be glad to have the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal weighed by the Cabinet. EQUAL REPRESENTATION In moving the remit, Mr S. W. Smith (Northern Ward), said it was desired to institute a system under which producers would have some say in the fixing of the guaranteed price. Every other section of the community had the right to equal representation with employers before tribunals, such as the Arbitration Court, and. the dairying industry would be lacking in independence if it did not ask for the same rght. The remit was seconded by Mr J. W. Hoskin (Northern Ward), who said the proposed tribunal would give the dairy farmers a fair deal, which was all that they wanted. It would be most satisfactory to the dairy companies and all others concerned. Other speakers urged that the conference should first endorse the principle of a tribunal before determining the procedure and personnel. “The farmers will never be satisfied unless they have a say in fixing the price,” said Mr F. O. R. Phillips (New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company). “This is the only fair way of doing it. Mr C. P. Ager (Southern Ward) pointed out that the findings of the price investigation committee were confidential to the Government and the Minister had the sole power in fixing the price. If the remit was carried it would be necessary for the Government to lay down a formula under which the tribunal would arrive at a price as a

recommendation to the Government. Only when the industry knew the formula would it be in a position to know whether the price was going to meet the rising tide of costs or not. CHOICE OF MEMBER Mr D. G. Begley (Central Ward) said the remit did not say what authority would be responsible for the appointment of the industry’s representatives. He moved, and it was seconded, that a committee be set up to consider every phase of the question. Mr J. H. Sunderland (Northern Ward) moved as an amendment an addition to the remit setting out that the producers’ representatives should be chosen by the Dairy Board, which would obtain from all sections of the industry essential data for use by those representatives. The chairman, Mr A. J. Murdoch, said Mr Nash had assured the Dairy Board that he looked upon it as the head of the industry. “So do we and so we are,” he added. “You take no risk in nominating the board as a body to determine your representatives.”

The amendment was withdrawn and the motion carried unanimously. A remit asking that the findings of the price investigation committee should be published was carried.