CITY MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 130, 19 February 1918, Page 8

CITY MILK SUPPLY

AND CLEARING HOUSE. (To tho Editor.) gjr —A, letter appeared in your columns a short time ago in reference to j the above subject, signed by 1 ! ■ J. Ryder, chairman of directors ol the WeliiiK'ton Dairy Fanners' Association. Apparently, Mr. Ryder was not satislied with the publication accorded his leltci, as in the "New Zealand Times ■ji" February S he writes much more fullv. As I am not a reader ot the. "Times" 1 had not seen anything oi it until a. neighbour asked me if I had seen the dressing-down Ryder gave, :nc; and an unknown friend (whom j thank) sent me a copy. Now, sir, 1 am not seeking newspaper notoriety, and would be. quite content to let Mr. Ryder get all the satisfaction that ho can from such sources (and apparently he gets a lot), but if ho gets no moro satisfaction thriii the public got enlightenment on the subject of his writings, then his effort is a barren one. As he ha? made very free use ol my name in connection with his association, and things generally, I will try and shou mv connection with them, though it is a very difficult matter as your correspondent has not linked ins subject up anvwhere, and to follow it is like following the road that leads to nowhere. Mr. Rvder says: "To show the public of Wellington tho true state of affairs, I will quote what these two centlcmen have done in the past. Firstly, Mr. Catley was chairman of our association for two and a half vears, and probably would still have been had the directors allowed him to give the Fresh Food and Ice Company ali they wanted. But no, sir, the directors were out for fair play, and a square deal with all vendors alike." Now, sir, 1 would like to know in what way the public are any the wiser from such a bare, bold statement. It is juggling with facts with a vengeanc?, anT conveys so many insinuations that in defence of myself I must strip the subject of its covering, y and lay bare tlio facts as far as 1 am concerned. They say that most things come to those who wait. I have been waiting for nearly three years now for the chance to make a public statement as to the reasons why I severed my connection with tho Dairy Farmers' Association. For the sako of the ixisition I once held in the association I. would nine'.' prefer to remain silent; but when such wild statements arc made by the present chairman I am forced to defend myself. The circumstances are as follow: I lie Welp'iigton Dairy Farmers' .Association entered into a contract with Cole, Crump, and Cundy to supply to the latter firm seven hundred gallons of milk daily, to be paid for whether required or not, and also to supply any further milk required in excess of the seve't hundred gallons per day. Amongst other conditions of contract, Cole and Co. were to have preference of near-by milk, in. that there was less freight to pay on such, they to benefit accordingly. This latter clause was wrung unwittingly from the association, and though I honestly (as chairman and a signatory to the contract on behalf of the association) tried to carry it out the farmers, among them another party to the contract, absolutely j refused to transfer their milk at the request of the directors to Cole and I Co. This breach was bad enough, but if was when the question of supplying the milk required in excess of the 700 gallons daily was raised, that the trouble began. I do not want, it to be inferred that nono of this excess milk was supplied; it was, and large quantities, too, un to 300 -lallons daily, and -it was this large quantity that caused the directors to get alarmed, and to limit the ouantity that should be supplied to Cole and Co., and it was the fact that T stood by the agreement that brought me into conflict with the directors, who, as Mr. Ryder rightly says, wore unanimous to a man against me, and who in my opinion undoubtedly failed to recognise the obligation the association was under. The fact that we had made a bad bargain was no excuse for not carrying it out. two things occurred which -brought matters to a head. On repeated requests by Cole and Co. that their needs were not being met, I instructed Mr. Ward (association secretary, who arranged all supplies) to see' Cole and Co. weekly, and see what was wanted, and as he failed to do so I. reported him, when a resolution was passed winch left Mr. Ward at liberty to do what ho liked in the matter. This I took as a- want of confidence in myself, and coupled with an insinuation that I was allowing myself to boused by Cole and/Co., I determined to leave, and so resigned mv posifio'n as chairman. This, sir, brings mete the point in Mr. Ryder's letter, where he says that I did so because I could not get the Ice Company all they wanted. I have challenged the association to show me where I ever asked for Cole and Co. any more than what they were entitled to under the agreement. I havo . challenged them to show me where, at any time, I ever did any thing against the interests of that hotly , while I was a member. Mr. Ryder is good enough to admit that while connected with the association 1 rendered faithful service. These are his actual words. That being so, Mr. Editor, surely there was some more weighty reason than that advanced by Mr. Ryder for my action. There are times when words hurt more than blows, especially when one has acted conscientiously. In another part of Mr. Ryder's letter he says that while chairman I confirmed minutes of a. previous meeting, when a'resolution was passed urging upon the City Council the necessity of a clearing house, and then he stops dead. Well, supposing I did, where is the iniquity? It's quite clear that your correspondent's pen has dictated to his mind and not his mind to his pen what be wrote, or rather how he put it. I will put him right by showing the public what he wishes to show. What Mr. Ryder wants to convey is, because I was one of a deputation that waited upon the City Council protesting aeainst their clearing house being controlled by the Wellington Dairy Farm, ers' Association, and also that while chairman of the association I confirmed minutes that contained a resolution urging on the City Council the necessity of erecting a clearing house, I was inconsistent. Never at any time have T favoured a clearing house, and while in the association always op-. posed it, and it has never been shown vet in what way it will benefit the farmer. Anvone who knows as much as I do knows why the association wishes it. I suppose had Mr. Ryder been in

m.v place he would have rpfused (as cliairniiiii) to confirm minutes the purport of which he was not in accord with.

Mr. Ryder also makes reference to iiwsclf in connection with the Te Jrjoro Co-operative factory in a manner that sm'gests something but says nothing. Let me tell Mr. Ryder that I had no more to do with the formation ol'that company than he did. If lie thinks so, let him' make a definite statement and then I will deal with him. Now, sir, I do not feel a bit hurt by Sir. Ryder's letter, as he has written on a subject that he had not even a nodding acquaintance with, as he came on the directorate after I nad left, and so all his knowledge of what he considers facts is second-hand, ami in consequence he has "tumbled in. "He duir a. pit, dug it deep, he dug it for his brother, hut in his sin he tumbled in the pit he dug for t other. In a footnote to his letter Mr Ryder puts the query: Seeing that the association -supplv 70 per cent, or the mil it that goes to Wellington, how can those who opposed the clearing house supply oO per cent.? Well. Mr. Ryder, if those who opiwsed the. clearing house supplv 50 per cent., how can the asso-ciation-supply 70 per cent..'' J hanking you in anticipation,-! am, g^ To Horo, February 12. .