BUTTER PRICES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 23, 27 January 1934, Page 12

BUTTER PRICES

THE LOCAL MARKET

STABILISATION SCHEME

Strong support for the price stabilisation scheme proposed by Mr. A. J. Sinclair, secretary of the Te Awamutu Cooperative Dairy Co,, Ltd., for the local market, was given by Mr./A. H. Parish, one of the first directors of the company, in an interview with a "Post" representative today.

"In. my opinion, particularly as things are now, in any thing, known by any individual to be the truth, there should be frankness," said Mr. Parish. "I feel quite convinced that the public of New Zealand do not ask for pricecutting of farmers' produce. The Dairy Control Board has had the Sinclair stabilisation scheme' before it,, and has agreed that it is a good scheme which probably'would require a slight variation, but this matter has apparently been dropped by the board. Why? If the board is justifying its existence and the collection of over £50,000 last year from the farming community, ■ iff is its business not to shelve the scheme. The small companies are facing grave difficulties through being shut out almost entirely from the local market, and unless some measures are taken to allow them to secure their, fair share of the local sales those difficulties will be enhanced to an intolerable degree. I believe it is the- duty of the Control Board to take those measures.. After all, the board is, or should ■be, just as vitally concerned; with the waif are of the small companies as with the interests of any other section of the dairy industry, and it is the manifest duty of the board to obtain authority to eliminate price-cutting on • the local market.. ,

■ "About two years ago. the Hon. E. Masters, Minister of Industries and Commerce, had a lot to, say regarding markets in the Far East. He has said nothing on the. subject for a considerable time. A prominent dairying authority says'that the markets in the East are not wOTth while. However, it is a fact that there are agencies in a number of Eastern countries which have been, established by New Zealand interests, and about which comparatively little is known by the great bulk of the dairy industry. T^ere have- been various letters on the in the New Zealand newspapers', the writers of which have lived in th 6 East. They have maintained that good markets exist there for New Zeaalnd dairy produce, and surely they should^ know the true position. It is the business of the Control Board to investigate-these markets and not to overlook their possibilities merely because of statements to the contrary." .