NEW DAIRY BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1935, Page 7

NEW DAIRY BOARD

ELECTION OF THREE MEMBERS. REGULATIONS GAZETTED. Regulations governing the first election of three elective members of the new Dairy Board as provided by the Agriculture (Emergency Powers) Act, 1934, were issued yesterday as a supplement to the “New Zealand Gazette. In detail, the regulations cover a lot of paper, but the complicated appearance df the voting machinery is more apparent than real; as an administrative' officer remarked last evening, “it should not be necessary for the average dairy farmer to miss one milking of his herd ,to master all the provisions for the Dairy Board election.”

Conditions are specified for the compilation of the rolls, the appointment of voting representatives by dairy companies, nominations, the taking of polls in the various wards, the appointment of scrutineers by candidates, and the final counting of tonnage votes. No date for the election is fixed, but in view of the time allowed for preparing the rolls, objections, and a period of twenty-one days after nominations have closed, it is considered unlikely that the poll will be taken before about the middle of March. It may be explained for general information that the members of the existing New Zealand Dairy Produce Board are to go out of office on a day to be fixed by the Government, and be succeeded by seven members, of whom three are to be appointed by the GovernorGeneral in Council, three to be . elected by companies being owners of dairy factories, while one is to be appointed by the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited. The members to be appointed by the Government are to come into office on a date to be specified “in the instrument of their appointment,” but not earlier than the day fixed for the going out of office of the present members. In view of this provision, it appears certain that the names of members to be appointed by the Government will not be announced until after the results of the election have been made known.

THE OLD GIVES WAY TO THE NEW.

The regulations have been framed so that all the members of the reinstituted Dairy Board will assume office on the day the existing board goes out. There will be no gap in time between the old and the new. Accordingly the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. G. G. Hodgkins, has been appointed returning officer for the election with authority to fix the day for the closing of the rolls, the closing of nominations, and also to fix the day for the closing of the poll. In each instance public notice of the day and the times so fixed shall be given. The roll is to be kept open for inspection for a period of seven days. During that time objection to any inaccuracy in the rolls may be lodged in writing to the returning officer. If necessary, further time will be allowed to make amendments.

Voting power is exercisable by companies which include individual sole owners of a dairy factory. As the majority of companies (there are about 365) will be either co-operative dairy companies, proprietary dairy companies, or partnership firms, provision has been made in the regulations for any such company to appoint a voting representative having power to vote and nominate a candidate on its behalf. The roll of electors vzill cover the northern ward and middle ward in the North Island, and the southern ward in the South Island.