BUTTER FOR OUR KINSFOLK

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 5, 1 October 1943, Page 4

BUTTER FOR OUR KINSFOLK

The chairman of the Northern Dairy Association has diawn attention to a marked conflict in the statements made by two members of the Ministry during the election campaign. The Minister of Marketing Mr. Barclay, stated that the British Government had asked for increased supplies of butter from New Zealand, and he mentioned the quantity given as a minimum. 115,000 tons. On the other hand, the Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan, told a southern audience that no request had been received from the British authorities When such an approach is made,” he added, “the New Zealand Cabinet will immediately deal with it.” Obviously one of the statements is who ly incorrect, but perhaps that is not the most important aspect of the

The need for maintaining our supplies of foodstuffs to the Mother Country is generally recognized. Last season adverse Yveatber conditions in some dairying districts, together Yvith the lack of feitilizeis and the shortage of labour, had the effect of loYvcring production, by approximately 10 per cent. And, unfortunately, the conditions ruling during the opening stages of the current season have not been at all favourable. The excessive rainfall has reduced the. food value of the pastures, growth not being suitable to high milk returns. I robably also the dairy herds did not come in in as good a condition as usua , for the winter had been a fairly hard. one. Very many farmers made great efforts'to provide supplementary supplies of food, but taken Generally it cannot be said that the dairy industry enjoyed a really good start this season. And it is a fact that it is usually easier to keep production at a high level than tO' make any substantial increase after a poor commencement. . . ■ People in close touch with Uhe industry are inclined to regard a further decline in production as inevitable, so that' action must be taken if shipments to Great Britain are to be maintained. Ibe on y possible source of supply will be made avail abe by a reason a i e reduction of the quantities of butter consumed locally. Ibe individual consumer must be asked to make a contribution, in exactly the same way as consumers are making one in Australia and Canada. nio those countries butter is rationed on the basis of _Boz. per head Yvee x y, and that is four times the quantity of the British ration. A smiikm procedure here would, it has been estimated, make a further IZ.OJU to 15 000 tons of butter available for the people in the Mother Countiy, and it could not be said that it would mean any real hardship to us.. The matter Yvas the subject of many questions during the election, based on the statement made by Mr. Barclay last May that a had been received from the British Government. People felt that the prolonged delay in taking appropriate action placed New Zealand in an unfavourable light, for both production and consumption, per head of population, are greater here than in the other Dominions. There is a widespread feeling that the request of the British authoiities should have met months ago with a ready response, but it seems evident that the Government delayed taking action until after the general election.