CITY MILK SUPPLY BILL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 8

CITY MILK SUPPLY BILL

1 .■ REPLY TO COUNCILLOR C. B. NORWOOD. The secretary of the Wellington Licensed Milk Vendors' Association (Mr. A. J. Pethericki, in reply to remarks which have.been inado by.Councillor Norwood, chairman of the Mik Committee, Wellington Citv Council, 'states that flio Wellington City Milk Supply Bill was withdrawn as the result principally of section G. which reads:— "Corporation to have monopoly—G. (1) After the passing of this Act it shall not bs lawful fdr any person, whether as principal, agent,-or otherwise (other than the corporation, and its servants or agents)—(a) 'To sell milk, or (b) to deliver milk in pursuance of a contract of sale made,'whether within the city or elsewhere, or (c) to have milk in his possession for sale, save under a license issued in that behalf by the council, and in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof. , (2) Nothing in this Act shall make it an offence to sell milk for consumption ou the premises of the seller, or to have possession of ( milk for the purpose of such sale. "This section gives absolute power to the council to have a monopoly in selling milk within the city of AVe'ilnigton or elsewhere.' No provision' whatever is made in the Bill for compensation to vendors whose businesses may be absolutely sacrificed. "Section 7 gives power to thel council to grant, refuse, or revoke' a license. This section -reads:—'Power to grant, refuse, ,md revoke licenses.—7. (1) .For the purpose of securing for the inhabitants of the city an adequate supply of luilk v of good quality and at a reasonable price the council may in its absolute discretion grant, refuse, or revoke any such license aa aforesaid, and may in granting any such license grant it on such terms and conditions as the council thinks proper for the purposes aforesaid. (2) By such terms and • conditions the council may limit the exercise of the license to a specified portion of the city only. ••

"Under section.7 the council, at its absolute discretion, can grant n license to one vendor and without assigning any 'reason can refuse to grant a license to any other vendor. No right of appeal by the vendor whose business is affected by refusal to grant a license or revocation of a license when granted is provided under this section". With such arbitrary' provision included in the Bill the vendors had no option but to raise a strenuous opposition to the passing of the measure. "I desire that it should be made known that the members of my association have offered, and are still willing to offer their businesses to the council for purchase by the council at a rcasonablo price. They are prepared to enter into any reasonable and equitable arrangement which will enable a better systemof distribution of supplies within the city to be carried out, and, lurthcr, are prepared to strenuously resist any unreasonable competition which the City Council may arrange iu connection with the city milk supply. "The vendors cannot be blamed for the expenditure of the large sums by the City Council- in its endeavour to b'ring nlwut changes. The expenditure has been .made entirely by the council without reference to the vendors, 1 and if loss results'the responsibility must rest entirely with the City Council's Milk Committee"