The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26th, 1923.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1923, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26th, 1923.

CONTROI. OF DAIRY PRODUCE. When the froz.n meat trade of New Zealand was in extremis at the end of 1921, on the cessation of Irnpe.ial Government purchases, and meat was worth much below what it cost to produce, the Meat Export Control Act. was passed, by which, inter alia, power was given to a. heard elected by producers, with representatives of the Government and one representative of mer.

(•untile interests, compulsorily to pool all shipments of meat (power not yet exercised), to enter into freight cont:si: ts with shipping companies, and do other tilings in the interests of the meat export trade as ii affected the producer. The Act also provided for Government financial assistance to the Hoard of Control in the event of de-

fault by themselves or their officers, and the funds necessary for the working of the Board were obtained liv a levy upon the export of meat, so much per quarter of heel, >o much |H-r carcase of mutton and lamb. The Board have been instrumental in effecting ceitain reforms, and claim that they have induced the Port of London and other port authorities in the I'nitcd Kingdom to retime their charges on frozen meat ; also that they have been successful in a lowering of freights on the carriage of frozen meat. Their success has hut intensified the desire of the dairy farmers to press for similar legislation for themselves. A Bill was brought down for this purpose last year, hut not disposed of at the time. It duly came it]) again this current session and was passed. It provides for compulsory pooling, and, like the meat legislation it lias an active minority against it among the producers themselves. But whereas the Meat Clout ml Board have the power to compel pooling, and have not yet used it. it is felt pretty certain, and there is not much doubt about it. that tin* dairy farmers will use that power now that the Bill has become law. The attitude of the Government is beyond question always for the special interests of the farmer, and where they lire concerned not in the interests of tit community as a whole. 'lbis attitude appears to he dictated hv the principle that the basic industries of the Dominion which tire pastoral and agricultural, must receive first and host, consideration. W hen the Prime .Minister stated in Parliament that "all the dairy farmers' have to do it they went legislation is to ask for it and they "ill get, it.” the common-id community saw in such a statement a real danger to commerce, in that in the event ol the not improbable accession ol d.ahour to power til New Zealand a had precedent would l.e put up by an ostensibly conservative Government for them to lollow in the fashioning of class or specialinterest legislation. The dairy companies of New Zealand making butter and or cheese number over 500. and all bur 50 of them are en-operatiro, that is. owned and directed by dairy farmers and no one else. Ihe other companies are p'ivate m joint stock organisations. The latter have had no clianv.* of expressing their voices in the discussions that have taken place throughout the country on the pooling legislation. But besides these then- are a large number nf linns in New Zealand and in l/indon and elsewhere in the I'nitcd Kingdom who make advances on consignments of but ter and cheese, and who in some instances buy outputs of factories. These, of course, "ill he ■itl'crtcd it the eonipnl-nty pooling becomes operative: hut the view of the Wellington (which took the initiative), Auckland. Christchurch. Dunedin. New Plymouth, and some other C handlers of Commerce is that in permitting section i. f the trading r-< ■inmuui ty to oimqel people to poo! their produce the Government are taking a very grave, step in the mistaken idea that, they are helping a basic industiy. flip ('handlers of Commerce, headed by the Auckland branch, passed strong resolutions of |.rotost [omting mil i 1 it- alleged fallibility of the proposals. But. as has been remarked the legislation went through the proviso h.-illg in-eitcd that the dairy farmers should take a poll on tie- question of bringing the Act into force. This was done, an outstanding majority supporting the introduction of the measure, under which a Board is now in process of election. The dairy export control legislation promises to take the Dominion into a new order of tilings, and the whole out. coin,- of the fresh situation will he watched with interest. There has been much influential opposition to the principle of the procedure, and if is sure to la- a factor the next time New Zealand polities' are discussed from the busting.'. Probably by then a clearer knowledge will he gained as to the possible workings of the Act. At present there ate many probabilities considered likely to iiri'e and there is a great element of iineei taint v. The immediate future should have much nf inteicst in the dairy farmer in the matter of the stabilisation of prices which in itself would he mine satisfactory, as long as the amount does mil prove to Ik- subnormal.