DAIRY INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 18

DAIRY INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA

Fear Of Regulation Of Exports “RESTRICTIONS AT ANY TIME” Mr T. W. Napthali, president of the New South Wales division of the Australian Institute of Dairy Factory Managers and Secretaries, at the annual conference at Sydney recently, said that although Great Britain had not yet placed any restrictions on Australian exports of dairy produce, the writing was on the wall,” and such reductions might come at any time. Mr Napthali said that the Australian Dairy Produce Board had agreed to a proposal to establish a Dairy Produce Commodity Council to enable dairy farmers throughout the Commonwealth to advance their claims when the question of regulation of imports came uhder review. . a "We, as managers,” he said, ‘ must be prepared to meet such a position, should restrictions unfortunately come about, by endeavouring to develop the manufacture of other lines of dairy produce. Commenting on seasonal conditions, Mr Napthali said that the past year had been a poor one from an Australian point of view, Queensland being the only state which had had satisfactory dairy production. Victoria had experienced one of the worst droughts known, and in New South Wales, while the coastal areas had been below normal in production because of the dry conditions, the inland areas had suffered even greater losses, but because of the very large Queensland increase, there had been a greater exportable surplus of butter last year than in 1938. He said that the dairying industry throughout Australia was greatly concerned at the expansion in the manufacture and distribution of butter substitutes. A united protest, from dairy farmers in every State, had been presented to Sir Earle Page, in March. The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Reid, who opened the conference, said that, notwithstanding the last two discouraging seasons, and the grasshopper, plague, not one of the inland factories had found it necessary to cease operations at any time, clearly indicating that dairying was well established in suitable inland areas.

Nevertheless, figures for dairy factory butter manufactured in New South Wales for the past year had dropped considerably, constituting one of the lowest totals on record. The adverse season had reduced the total to a little more than 105,000,0001 b, a decrease of 13,000,0001 b on the previous year’s figures, and 1,000,0001 b less than in 1937, which was the worst year since 1931.