MILK POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 72, 26 March 1934, Page 9

MILK POLICY

THE BRITISH SCHEME

NO RESTRICTION OF IMPORTS

STATE GUARANTEE

(From "The Post's" Representative.), LONDQN, February 23. :■ Mr. Elliot, Minister of Agriculture, in the House of Commons yesterday outlined the policy of the Government for the marketing of milk in this country. The main feature of the scheme is a guarantee to the1 farmer of od a gallon on summer milk and 6d a gallon on winter milk. No. mention was made of the restriction of butter and cheese imports. . ' i ' , The House was aware, said Mr. Elliot, that there was a volume of milk surplus to present liquid requirements which was estimated to be little short of 20 per cent, of the total volume 'of ;milk sold under contract, this winter, and was likely to be about 40 per cent, of the larger volume of contract supplies available-in the spring and summer. This surplus milk had to find a market in manufactured form, chiefly as butter and cheese. Prices of butter and "cheese were at very low levels, owing to exceptionally heavy imports and present market conditions generally. "'"There is thus a grave danger that the price structure*of the whole milkproducing industry in this country will be seriously undermined," continued the Minister, "particularly when the spring and summer flush of milk comes on to the market. An expansion of the liquid milk consumption of the country would not only be of the greatest benefit froni the public health point of view, but would alleviate in the most satisfactory way the difficulty of 1 surplus milk.' If: this increase in con- ' sumption is to be obtained, it must be based on public confidence as to the purity "of 'the snppiy. ■■■•■■;■ . ADVANCES FROM EXCHEQUER. "The Government accordingly proposes:—(l) That for the. two years beginning April 1, 1934, the Milk Marketing Boards shall be guaranteed by the Government by means of Exchequer advances minimum, prices of 3d a gallon in summer (April-September) and' 6d a gallon in -winter, in respect of milk manufactured in factories in Great Britain. ;.;. "For milk manufactured into cheese on farms, for which the boards will have to assume responsibility, the same- advances a gallon will be made. The. advances from the Exchequer are estimated to amount to about from £1,500,000 to £1,750,000 in the first year. ' ■ '■'-." ... -,-".(2) For! the purpose of launching a campaign for securing a purer.'milk supply,'the. Government^will provide from, public funds a sum not exceeding £750,000, spread over the next four years. It -will be the responsibility of the boards to continue the campaign without further assistance as soon as they are. in a position to do so.' : ",(3) The Government will be prepared to contribute from the Exchequer on a pound-for-pound basis to a milk publicity, fund, for a period of two years. The Government contribution will. be limited to £500,000 in either year, according to the amount contributed by the Milk Marketing Boards. The grant will be contingent, on tie submission of an approved programme containing, inter alia, provision for the supply of milk to schools at reduced rates. " The requisite legislation will be introduced at an "early date> and, in view of the widespread interest which is-being taken in the subject, the Government hopes it will be facilitated by all parties in this House. V. ■-.■.■ ■;\_. TINNED MILK: •Questions were asked regarding .restriction on tinned unsweetened milk. Mr.. Elliot replied that the entire exclusion of unsweetened .tinned milk would make practically no difference to theproblem. It was the large quantities of imported dairy produce of all kinds—-and particularly butter and cheese—which had depressed the' price level.1 ' •■•'■: . ■ ;;;--' ■■;. .._■ ";■',,Sir. BV'Peto. asked if Mr. Elliot was aware that the amount of unsweetened tinned milk imported into this country was equivalent to the produce of 150,000 dairy cows. " Mr. Elliot said he /thought-it was common knowledge that the purity of the Bulk supplies in this country was not as great as they would: like to see it, and the "desirability of -ensuring' a purer milk supply was a responsibility not oftone of the community only, but of the community as a whole. (Cheers.) : ;:A White Paper issued on the subject gives, details of the repayment during the two last years_ of a period of four years of the subsidies granted by the Government. •' MILK BOARD'S APPROVAL. 'The Milk Marketing Board welcomes the proposals of the Government's a tangible contribution towards the solution of the problem.' which daily confronts the producer of milk. The Government advance will be of assistance to the' producer in helping to improve the price which he will receive on that portion of his milk which goes into manufacture. ; The grants for publicity, and for ,the improvement of the general standard of milk production, are fraught with special significance at a time when there is a growing demand for milk to be made available for school children in greater abundance and at a lower price. ' INTERIM MEASURES. The National Farmers' Union views with satisfaction Mr. Elliot's announcement. ' It points out that the proposed action of the Government is in response to the union's representations, since, when the milk marketing scheme was originally submitted to Mr. Elliot, it'was urged that its success was fundamentally dependent upon the effective safeguarding of the position of manufacturing milk supplies. The position has been complicated, it was stated, by the provisions of the Ottawa Agree- . meats affecting milk products, and the Minister's proposals are,1 presumabily, to be regarded as interim measures designed to cover the period up to the time when the Government resumes its freedom of action in relation to Dominion products. The. union welcomes the proposed Government contribution for milk publicity purposes, and also *tho proposed campaign for securing a purer milk supply. If a scheme of selling milk for children can be put into force (writes the agricultural correspondent of the "Morning Post") it must commend itself to all dairy fanners, as it will probably inculcate a desire for milk as a driik in later life, whereby our per capita consumption might possibly approach, that of the United States of America. Considering that this consumption: (U.S.A.) is three times that of the United Kingdom, and making every allowance for differences in habit, there would, be very reasonable grounds for hoping for such an increased consumption of this most excellent food aa would wipe out nearly all the surplus that is so troublesome today. OPPOSITION TO QUOTAS. . According to the political correspondent of the same newspaper, agricultural members of Parliament are keenly disappointed at the exclusion from the policy of any measure of restriction of iayports. of processed mlik products. Ske^xplanatioit given by t Mr. Elliot