WHY A MILK TRUST?

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 6

WHY A MILK TRUST?

Sir—l hope the members of Parliament assembled will,absolutely refuse to give the Wellington City Council the-. powers it is asking for—in short, to lorm a milk trust at its own sweet will. By all moans giro it the right to sell milk, and see that others who fell milk carry out the necessary regulations for ■ the) safety of the general 'public. But why grant it: a monopoly? The State sells coal, but does not prevent the individual from doing so; likewise:.it carries on an insurance business, but not in a manner to prevent other companies so do ng. With cool audacity "the- City Cduncil seeks to impose restrictions on the producers to such an extent that they shall not erect a butter factory or other fresh milk industry within a radius *f thirty miles of Wellington, and further wish to bolster up their side of the case, if they cannot do it by any other means, by enforcing so-called War Regulations; thus getting the powers that otherwise would never be granted them. Municipally-run concerns in the past have not been so ably managed as to give the council the right to exnerinient in thi-V huge nif>'iopnly. Competition is the soul of trade, then let it comnete ns others have to do in all branches of trade. The regulation of milk prices is in its hands; if the price of milk is in unfair ow>. and it can nroduce the milk cheaper, let it under-sell the man who is fini-gin? too much for it, and as the. State did with -insurance .bring down tlie price. But to blot out all private enterprise and to prevent the dairyman or farmer from vending his own milk is an infringement on the right of any man to make a legitimate living, if he can offer the public a firstclass article at the same rate as'the City Council, and probably in a ireshpr con- ; ''it'Vi. It is oskint' for a monopoly that London was refused by the British . aufMritips, and something it is not entitled to. At tin- best, the, milk scheme, is only an exnerinient, and if it fails as its first clearing-house scheme did, tip ratepayer nays, and the result of their monopoly will probably be that the dairyfarmer will put his land to other uses.— I am, etc., NO MONOPOLY! Note—Since the above letter was written, the council has withdrawn its Bill, but the facts above stated are still pert'nent, and anplv to any other scheme they may bring forward in it 3 place. I December 6.