N.D.A. CONFERENCE.

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 19 June 1933, Page 4

N.D.A. CONFERENCE.

Tormorrow there will be an exodus from Taranaki of dairy company directors an-d others closely associated with the Industry, the centre of attraction being Hamilton, where this year’s National Dairy Association conference will open on Wednesday. The remits appearing on the agenda, paper indicate that the constitution of the Dairy Board and the extension of its -sphere of, responsibility to cover some phases of marketing and

to control matters of domestic policy will be subjects of considerable discussion. Whether the conference will come to any degree of unanimity on these subjects is another matter; whether, also, even a unanimous conference could prevail, upon the powers that be to institute reforms is also a matter of grave doubt.. The discussions will, nevertheless, do good inasmuch as t'hoj will give publicity to the great gaps that exist in the organisation of this important primary industry. As it is constituted, the dairy industry must necessarily move slowly towards busi- 1 nesslilvc organisation. There is a tremendous weight of public opinion to be moved before the Government can be induced'to take action. The process of education is painfully slow and very costly, but it is inevitably so whore the. democratic system prevails so heavily. The trials and tribulations accompanying the present era of -low prices and world-wide changes in opinion regarding tariffs, currency and quotas, may hasten the process in this country, which is •notably backward in comparison with Denmark, for instance, in accepting new ideas relating to administration of the dairy industry. A factor which should weigh with the delegates who will be called upon to consider these vital ‘.subjects this week is that everywhere responsible opinion is tending to the belief that co-operation, which has served the dairy industry of yew Zealand so well up to the present stage of its development, is now on its trial and if the co-operators cannot find the, courage to go forward and place themselves in a position to compete with countries organised on more mobile lines, it must go back and ultimately give way to some form of private enterprise or complete dependence upon the State. It is to be doubted whether the majority of those who assemble at Hamilton this week will see the position in that light. It is the looker-on who sees most of the game, so far as" the broad issues are concerned, and the warnings that have been given regarding the prospect of the failure of co-operation have come from those standing a slight distance removed from the company directors, who are right in the heart of the cooperative movement. The discussionr and decision's at this week’s conference will reveal the measure of progress made by the industry towards recognition of the need, fur delegation of authority to some higher form of organisation than exists at present.