THE RIGHT TO SELL

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 53, 26 November 1926, Page 12

THE RIGHT TO SELL

SACRED TRUST OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

CONTROL BOARD DISCUSSION “In view of the serious position of the Dominion’s butter export trade in London, and the strong adverse reports auent the action of the Control Board and the bringing into operation of absolute control, this meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce vigorously protests and strongly urges on the Government to eliminate the word ‘Control’ from the title of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Control Board, and to pass immediate legislation to repeal or amend section 13 of the 1923 Act granting the power to enforce absolute control.” . The above remit provided some keen discussion at the annual conference of New Zealand Chambers of Commerce yesterday. , , ~ Mr. C. P. Agar (Christchurch) said that few chambers of commerce favoured dairy control, and even if they switched round, the farmers, having gone so far, would take the matter into their own hands. Mr. W. Dobson (Dannevirke) They made their bed—let them lie on it. Mr. D. Rutledge (Invercargill) said he had taken a large part in securing support for control in the South Island, and the longer he lived the more convinced he would be that the scheme was necessary. After clue investigation it was found' there was only one way of securing the dairy farmer from bankruptcy, and that was by controlling the marketing of his own produce. The dairymen seriously resented the interference of commercial men in this matter and resented the reflection on their intelligence. The Control Board had not yet had a chance of demonstrating what it could do, and it was only fair that it should fix a reasonable price below which the agent should not sell. He entered a protest against the reference in_ the president’s address saying that “it was bad taste that his address was couched in the language it was.” Mr. W. Machin (Christchurch) said that if there was one thing in the custody of a body such as the present that was a sacred trust—it was the protection of any man in business—to give him the right to sell bis goods where and how he would. (Applause.) The remit was carried cn the voices.