MILK PRICES TO RISE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 12

MILK PRICES TO RISE

I DAIRYMEN TAKE ACTION two years of i'kickci:ttin<; For two years price-cutting has made the business of milk producing for the Christchurch market a lean one for many farmers, and in spite of a number of attempts to curb it, price cutting has gone on. A meeting yesterday, which was attended by about 100 dairymen, decided tnat the price of milk will be raised as from next Monday. The meeting was neld in committee, but it was reported afterwards that all aspects of the business in Christchurch had been very fully discussed. A resolution was carried making it a recommendation to the executive of the Dairymen's Association that the price for milk be raised to 5d a quart, that it be raised to Is 4d a gallon in bottles to shopkeepers, and that the price to the farmer from vendors be lOd a gallon. A resolution was also passed asking the Health Department and the City Council to enforce stricter regulations to control certain abuses which are alleged against retailers. Milk Scarce Mr D. Williamson, who presided at the meeting yesterday, said that milk was scarce at present, owing mainly to the very dry season. Some farmers had been feeding their cows for six weeks, and as the producers had been subjected to price-cutting for two years, they had very little money left to carry on with. The question of buying hay was one which gave many farmers much worry, as the price this year was likely to be from £6 to £9 a ton, and the businesses affected being small, buying in some cases would mean ruin. "You would need a bank behind you to buy much hay at that price." said Mr Williamson. "Some dairymen have been able to carry on till this year, but the drought will cripple many of them. Everyone is very sore about the conditions of the last two years." Milk in Shops The meeting yesterday discussed at length the conditions under which milk was sold in a large number of retail shops. A resolution was finally carried drawing the attention of the Health Department and the City Council to these conditions. The resolution said that the meeting considered that the conditions of sale of milk in retail shops were not in accordance with the provisions of the Health Act, because in many cases the utensils used, and the storage provided were not clean. Bottles were often opened and small quantities sold from them, and this was considered unfair trading. The authorities were asked to insist that the same equipment insisted on for handling and storing milk on farms should be made compulsory for all shops handling milk. Though no resolution was carried, there was a discussion on the carriage of milk in sedan cars, an 'action contrary to the regulations. it was stated by a number of the farmers present that the practice seemed to be growing.