DUNEDIN'S MILK SUPPLY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 2 July 1937, Page 11

DUNEDIN'S MILK SUPPLY

-PresB Association.)

Industry in "Deplorable • State" HIGHER PRICES WANTED

t By Telegraph-

DUNEDIN, Last Night. With wliolesale and consuming prices too widely divergent the farmer is not getting a price which will give liim a reasonable standard of living. With the usual winter output down by 50 per cent. and feed in short supply and expensive to buy the milk-producing industry is in a deplorable state, according to a report to to-day's meeting of the Otago Milk Producere' Association. It was reported that many farmere were giving up milking and more would follow unless the prospects improved.' The meeting was the third held within recent months and proof was available that at last the producers were organising as a body and that contact had been made with the Dunedin City Council on the question of the municipilisation of the supply. While the original proposal of a "st^ike,, for higher prices appeared to have been rejected, a few members were openly pessimistic of the muncipal scheme being adopted, one stating that the ratepayers would be foolish to approve a loan of £250,000 which would cause the consuming price to be further advanced. The organiser, Mr. L. A. McAdam, said: "A number of farmers are in favour of drastic action by way oi a strike for higher prices, but just . as many are not in favour of sucli action, and I feel sure after hearing much argument on both sides and after a great deal of thought on the matter that a strike is not the way out of the difficulty. With stropg organisation such as we now have to back up the effqrts, of the committee in pressing for control,- 1 am convinced that we will eventually get wbat we want." "There is a shortage of milk for the city" supply at present," said Mr. McAdam, "and the indications are that the shortage will be more acute for the nest two months at least. - Conditions on dairy farms are deplorable and farmers are concerned as tb the future.. Peed is in verv short supply and expensive to buy and the supply of milk is falling daily, most of the men being down to half the usual winter output. A number of farmers have already given up dairying and I am convinced that many more will do so unless something is done in the way of control so that the outlook will be more hopeful than at present. The majority of farmers interviewed are in favour of municipal control. ' ' "A strike is not the way out of tho difficulty," said the president, Mr. Young. *'I know if we stuck together and fixed the price we could do something, but I am not in favour of startin'g a war." By organising they would get somewhere and anything would be better than the existing conditions. The Agricultural Commission knew much about the Dunedin milk supply. He was satisfied that Dunedin would adopt the Wellington scheme and benefit from the lessons Wellington had learnt with some cost. Mr. Blackie said the association should protest strongly through the Agriculture Department against unregistered milk being supplied to the city. When there was a shortage unregistered suppliers step'ped in and often received a better price than the man who had been supplying for years. The City. Council had made strong domSnds for pure milk' and had collected analyst fees from farmers, yet tho acceptance of unregistered milk was countehanced. As a possible source of danger the attention of the Health De partment should also be drawn to unregistered supplies. The present rules were BafEerty 's, Mr. Cameron said. He could name farmers and retailers who were selling skimmed milk as liquid milk. "I know that liquid milk i3 being sold in the city that I would not give to pigsy" he declared.

Mr. Young said it was quite possible the City Council might not introduce a municipal scheme and the producers should be allowed to elect two directors to the biggeet company. The president said the suggestion was a good one, but he could not see how it could be carried out. Representations by the producers at the annual meeting of the company had been rejected. In faCt the company would not hear them. Under the reconstruction by the zoning of dairy companies they could not say what would be the future for the milk supply. Howevor, there was every chance of a municipal scheme. "The City Council will have to raise a loan of £250,000 to introduce the scheme and the people of Dunedin will be very foolish if they allow it as it will surely mean an increase in the cost of their milk," said Mr. Young. The discussion then clbsed.