DAIRY PRODUCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20786, 22 July 1937, Page 6

DAIRY PRODUCE

GUARANTEED PRICE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE WANTED By Telegraph—Press Association INVERCARGILL, July 21. The need for a substantial increase in the guaranteed price for dairy produce during the coming season in order to cover the increase in the costs of production and manufacture because of the Government’s recent legislation was mentioned by Mr G. R. Herron, chairman of the Awards Committee of the South Island Dairy Association in an address to dairy factory suppliers at Edendale, but he held out very little hope of an increase approaching that which lias been claimed by various producers’ organisations. “I have seen computations by different producers’ representatives of the amount of the increase in the guaranteed price required to cover the increased costs resulting from the Government's recent legislation, and most of them have been in the vicinity of 3d a pound butterfat,’.’ Mr Herron said. “When in Wellington recently I learned on reliable authority that we would be lucky to get a rise of a third of a penny let alone threepence."

Mr John Johnston said that the Minister of Agriculture had dropped a hint at the South Island Dairy Conference that the increase would not be handsome. If the rise was only one-third of a penny, producers would not get rich on that.

The meeting passed a resolution urging that payment to dairy farmers should be a minimum of 16 a pound Of butterfat or a price which will enable dairy farmers to pay wages competitive with other industries.