CAUSE OF DELAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20017, 16 August 1939, Page 6

CAUSE OF DELAY

DAIRY PRODUCE PRICE AWAITING MR. NASH MEETING NEXT MONTH CLAIMS OF PRODUCERS (Per Press Association.) HAMILTON, this day. Reasons for the delay in announcing the guaranteed price for the 1939-40 season, were explained by Mr. W. E. Hale, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board at a meeting of the committee conveners of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company Limited. Mr. Hale said the dairy industry conference’s executive committee had been considering the guaranteed price for the current season when the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. W. Nash, who was largely responsible for initiating the system, had to leave suddenly for London. Mr. Nash was expected back on August 4, but his return had been delayed and he was now expected to arrive on about August 31.

The committee considered it desirable to wait until Mr. Nash returned before it further considered the matter, and it now hoped to meet on September 8.

In view of the further costs inflicted on the farmer by the Budget, the speaker considered that the dairy producers were justified in expecting an increase in price for this season.

Mr. W. Marshall said the committee had unanimously re-affirmed the decisions made at the various producers’ conferences. The committee considered, however, that the industry’s offer to forego all ascertainable increases in costs since the presentation of the advisory committee’s report required revision because of further rises which had jaken place in general costs since the presentation of the committee’s report, because of the inability of the Minister of Marketing to finalise an effective standstill arrangement with the Federation of Labour and because of the further additional costs as disclosed by the Budget.

Mr. Marshall added that the farmers’ organisations had reached a remarkable degree of unanimity with regard to their attitude toward the guaranteed price. The meeting approved of a resolution moved bv Mr. J. H. Furniss, Ruawaro, that the conference consider that the price should be the figure recommended by the 1938 advisory committee, plus the ascertainable increases in costs since the report was published.