DAIRY CONTROL.

Wairarapa Age, 20 April 1927, Page 5

DAIRY CONTROL.

LABOUR PARTY ASSERTIONS. “AN ILL-INFORMED MINISTER.” NAPIER, April 18. Referring to the subject of dairy produce 1 control, the annual report of the National Executive, presented to the New Zealand conference of the Labour Party in Napier to-day, states that, from the time of his appointment to the London agency until his recent resignation, Mr Stronach Paterson consistently opposed the policy of the board, and organised a boycott, combined with newspaper propaganda, which played on the fears of the producers, and led to the abandonment of tlTe board’s policy of regulated offer ings at fixed prices. “The opposition to the board by one of its own members, assisted and backed by the Prime Minister,’,’ says the report, “placed the. New Zealand dairy industry in a dangerous position. The situation can only be saved by the producers, not only by placing themselves and the industry at the moi’cy of Tooley Street again, but by closer co-ordination with the co-operative distributing organisations in Great Britain. The time is ripe for negotiations with the British Government for the establishment of a Food Purchasing Council, through which the produce of the New Zealand farmer can be transferred to the consumer.” Every member of the Parli-a-moatary Labour Party was of opinion that relief was urgently needed if the struggling dairy farmer were to be en abled to function. The Dairy Board has done good, work for the dairy industry. If it refused to allow speculators to dictate its policy or to be influenced hy an ill-informed Minister, then it could go ahead with confidence (P.A.)