DAIRY CONTROL

Waikato Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 2764, 29 March 1927, Page 4

DAIRY CONTROL

OUR MEMBER’S VIEWS. TOO MUCH EXPECTED. Speaking at the farmers’ picnic at Hantapu on Saturday last, the member for the district (Mr D. Stewart Reid) made reference to dairy control. Mr Reid quoted from an article authorised by the Welfare League upholding the. actions of the Meat Board, and contrasting these with the. policy Qf the Dairy Control Board. The speaker skid he had nothing against the Meat Board, the members of which were doubtless doing their best for the farmers, but he pointed out that, through no fault of the Meat Board, when that body tqok office we were getting 28/ to 30/ for fat lambs, and 28/ to 33/ for ewes. Today. we were receiving only 19/ to 22/ for lambs, and i'2/tb W for owes. He would -like to know how this position had been brought about. Mr Reid said ho did not see how anyone could expect very high prices for our produce, in view of tho recent strike at Home, and the great amount of unemployment in Britain, which two factors had reducod the spendingpower of the British nation by millions sterling.

A lot was being said about pricefixing by the Dairy Control Board, continued the speaker, nnd apparently many people considered it a very improper thing to' do. II it could have been carried out, they would not have raised this point. The farmers were just ns much entitled to ask lor a fair riling as other sellers of goods.

There were many who expected too much of the Control Board, said Mr Reid. They expected to get fictitious prices. However, the board could by o-occl management, eliminate waste and unnecessary expenditure. It was supply and demand that regulated prices.