DAIRY CONTROL BOARD.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1425, 10 November 1923, Page 5

DAIRY CONTROL BOARD.

NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON 22ND ' INSTANT.

THE QUESTION CANDIDATES

No announcement lias yet been made aW’to the personnel’of the ticket which the Dairy FUrihers’ Union proposes to nominate 1 for election lo the Dairy Produce Export Control Board. The Wellington Provincial Executive seems rather keen on advancing the claims of candidates to contest the vacancies with 'Messrs lorns (Wairarapa), Dalrymple (RangL tikei) and Forsyth (Taranaki) and apparently are not opposed to the election of Messrs Grounds (North Auckland), Goodfellow and Motion (Waikato), but in their campaign they will, if the idea 'is persisted in, actually oppose all three northern candidates, for the election is for six members representing the whole of the North Island, and there are no wards or constituencies such as obtain for Parliamentary elections. All dairy producers throughout the North Island will be entitled to vote for six candidates, and apparently there will be no “plumping”—each voting paper to be valid must have six (and only six) names unerased. There has been a persistent rumour that Mr C. E. Macmillan, M.P. for , Tauranga, will probably be a candidate for one of the six vacancies. That gentleman, by reason of his 20 years’ close association, as secretary and chairman of directors of successful co-operative dairy companies in the Bay of Plenty, would be a formidable candidate for any one of the six gentlemen selected for nomination by the Dairy Council, but we are more inclined (from information received this morning) to believe that Mr Mahmillan will be one of the Government nominees on the Control Board. Why it should be considered that a member of the legislature must necessarily be chosen as a Government nominee is hard to understand, but the fact remains that that is the. general expectation. We would advance the view that it would be much preferable to have as the Government nominees such a man of sound business training and experience as Sir Harold Beauchamp. The Control Board will handle contracts representing an immense sum, and men experienced in dealing with huge figures, on a purely business basis, are essential to its well-being. The prospect of the Government announcing its intentions in this matter before the election on December 13th is small, but if it is not done-there will 'probably be additional candidates who hope that if they do not succeed in winning enough support from . the dairy farmers to ensure election they may have come sufficiently into the limelight to obtain very fair prospects of obtaining the official label after the election. However, the next week or ten days should throw considerable ilght on several important aspects of the matter.

ELECTION OF THE BOARD.

NOMINATION OF PRODUCERS’ REPRESENTATIVES.

ORDER-IN-COUNCIL ISSUED

(B> Telegraph. Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Another step towards bringing into operation the Dairy Export Control Act was the issue last night of an order-in-council prescribing the manner of taking the votes of producers in the election of members of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Control 3oaid. Mr G. G. Hodgkins, who conducted the recent poll, has been appointed returning officer for taking the votes of producers. A roll of producers for the North and South Islands will be prepared from information supplied by each owner of a dairy factory, manufacturing dairy produce for export and registered with the Department of Agriculture in accordance with the regulations under the Dairy Industry Act. This roll will not be the same as was utilised in connection with the recent poll of suppliers on the question whether the Dairy Produce Export Coqttrol Control Act should be brought itno operation. As the roll is now being compiled, suppliers should take an early opportunity of getting into touch with the company through which they are operating, to make sure that their names have been sent in correctly. This suggestion is made officially, as a result of the experience gained at the last poll. The poll will be taken by post, and' votes not received by the returning officer at noon on 13th December will not be valid. Eligibility for Election. No person will be eligible for election as a producers’ representative unless he has been nominated by two or more producers whose names have been submitted to the returning officer by the owner of a dairy factory, and he has accepted nomination in writing, or by telegraph. No producer will be entitled to nominate More persons for election than the number Vof producers’ representatives’ required; that is, six for the North Island and three for the South Island. Nominations must be in the hands of the returning officer by noon'on 22nd November. If only nine persons are nominated, they will be deemed to have be eta duly elected. If more than nine are nominated, a ballot will be held. In the case of an equality of votes, the returning officer is to give the casting vote, /

Instructions for Voting. The voter must vote for the full number of candidates; he is to leave uncancelled the names of the candidates for whom he desires to vote, and must strike out the names of all candidates not voted for. Should a voter not vote for exactly nine persons his vote will be declared invalid and will not be counted. A voter is entitled to only one vote, although he may, through supplying to more than one factory, receive more than one 'ballot paper through the post, as was the case in the recent dairy poll. An envelope, witl) the returning officer’s address, Box 25, Government Buildings, Wellington, printed on it, will

be enclosed with the voting paper to enable it to be returned to the returning officer.

AN OTAGO NOMINATION.

MR WM. LEE. DUNEDIN, Friday. •A meeting attended by over fifty dairy farmers and dairy factory representatives was held here to-day to consider .the nomination of candidates for seats on the Dairy Produce Export Control Board. Those who attended a recent meeting of the Dairy Council in Wellington were criticised for their action in selecting candidates, which it was considered was the duty of the producers. It was explained by one of the delegates from Otago that members of the Council who were opposed to control were not invited to the recent meeting in Wellington. After a considerable amount of discussion Mr Wm. Lee was nominated as the Otago representative. It was resolved: “That this meeting ask the Farmers’ Union to urge upon the Government the desirability of dividing t'he South Island into electorates and to back up the Dairy Control Act financially in the same way as it is supporting the Meat Control Board.” NO DAIRY FARMERS’ UNION NOMINEE. PALMERSTON N., Friday. At a meeting yesterday, of the Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Companies’ Association, over which Mr S. A. Broadbelt presided, the following resolution was carried: “That the ticket recommended by the National Dairy Council be supported by the Association, which regrets the contemplated action of the Dairy Farmers’ Union in nominating candidates for the Dairy Control Board.” After a protracted discussion at an extraordinary meeting of the Dairy Farmers’ Union held yesterday it was decided to take no further part in pressing for a Union nominee on the Control Board. '