BUTTER AND CHEESE

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14258, 8 January 1920, Page 5

BUTTER AND CHEESE

1 GOVERNMENT CONTROL PHOBABLE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. (United Press Association.) Received Jan. 8, 1.45 a.m. MELBOURNE, Jan. 7. It is reported in well-informed circles that the British Government proposes to continue the control of butter and cheese for the next two years, and to be the sole importers of butter in the United Kingdom over that period.

POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND. FREE MARKET WANTED. PRESENT SYSTEM UNSOUND. A representative of the Times spoke to Mr W. Goodfellow, managing-direc-tor of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, on the subject of the above cable this morning. He stated that before the Imperial Government could assume control of the supplies it had first to purchase them, and this could not be done unless the producer? decided to sell. A meeting of dairy company representatives in Auckland yesterday was very definite against selling again to the Imperial Goverament7 and the delegates appointed to attend the National Conference in Wellington were instructed to vote for a free market and nothing else. Of course it was possible for the Government to commandeer the output, but in the event of such action, ruling market rates would have to be paid. New Zealand was at present Importing goods from Britain and paying for everything it bought at the advanced prices, and if we did not receive market rates for our goods, then from an economic standpoint wo would soon be in an unstable position. The present system of Imperial purchase was quite unfair, for the under market rates paid to certain of the Dominions were apparently being utilised to equalise the higher rates demanded. If all the Dominions were treated alike, the position would not be quite so bad, but Canada had a free market and was selling on the Continent. The producers of New Zealand claimed the same right. A national conference of dairymen was to be held in Wellington on the 14th to discuss the whole question of exports, but the Auckland dairy people were emphatically of opinion that the present was the time to again introduce normal trading.