DAIRY COUNCIL.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20103, 5 December 1930, Page 18

DAIRY COUNCIL.

♦ ANNUAL MEETING. (rnf.sa ASSOCIATION TF.LEG ham .j WELMNUTO.V, December 1. "With tho dairy industry facing a crisis of ttio first magnitude, extreme hardship could only be minimised by co-operative dairy companies acting in unison to secure more efficient marketing and by general action throughout tho community to reduce the costs of produetiou, said Mr \V. Uoodfellow, managing director of Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd., addressing the second annual meeting of the New Zealand Duirv Council to-day, when he gave a full analysis of the position. The Council resolved to urge the Government to endeavour to arrange for the British Government, to tax foreign food imports, New Zealand agreeing in return to a reduction of the duty on British goods.

The Council also decided to institute action ealling ou Loudon importers to deviso methods to prevent marketing weaknesses and strongly favoured the organisation of the marketing end of the industry by co-operating with Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd., or adopting some other marketing scheme. Tho producer was now receiving less than tho pre-war value for his goods, said Mr Uoodfellow, and it was quite impossible to maintain, much less expand, the dairy industry, unless immediate stops were taken to reduco farmers' costs. This could best be accomplished by: (3) An all-round reduction of Government, municipal, and County Council expenses.

(2) A reduction in tho duty on all dairy factory and farmers' requirements, some of which wore now levied as high as 20 and 30 per cent. (3) The establishment of the railways under independent commercial control, to avoid tho annual deficit, whoso burden was borne by tho whole ity(4) By suspending tho Arbitration Court, and allowing a natural basis to be established. (5) By removing the duties on wheat, and flour, thus reducing the cost oT living and permitting tho expansion oil essential industries, such as pig and poultry production. ((>) By the establishment of a strong Coalition Government. Mr Dynes Fulton spoke of tho need of producers effectively combining to secure betterment in marketing methods. The directors of Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd., were prepared to eo-op-erate with any organisation or group that could propose any betterment. A Bpecial vgte of thanks was accorded Mr Goodfellow for his services to tlio industry, and confidence was expressed in him for its future guidance. A resolution was adopted that the Government should call a conference to include tho ablest men representative of all interests in the community with tho object of exploring ways and means of minimising hardship and obtaining a return of national prosperity.