WELLINGTON NOTE'S.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 February 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTE'S.

A MANIA FOR HOARDS. (Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON. February 17. The present Government lias displayed a remarkable mania for setting up boards. Everyone knows about the various control boards, but few know anything about the Publicity Hoard. It exists as a sort of cubby hole for giving a little dignity to various members of the Civil Service who know little or nothing of the art of publicity. Possibly there are some fees attached to the position of member of the Publicity Hoard. A trail events it is announced that Mr J. A\. Collins, secretary of the Industries and Commerce Department, has been appointed a member of the publicity boord. This does not of course mean that the Department of Industries and Commerce is to he wiped out, hut more is the pity, for the department has been a costly excrcsccnse. It was set up during the war and was to achieve wonderful things, with three commissioners with a separate set oT officers, ft was used mainly liv the Government for manipulating the wheat and flour problem, hut gradually its activities slackened and dwindled from a large stall' to the two proverbial men and a dog. A good many useless schemes were set going during Die war period, and immediately after, their only merit being that they helped to squander the money that came in through compulsory loans and taxation. DAIRY CONTROL HOARD. The members of the Dairy Control Hoard are to meet in Wellington towards the end of next week, and there is considerable interest as to what form of control the Hoard will decide upon. At its meeting last month the Hoard decided on the. control, but the measure of that control was leit for further consideration. In the meanwhile there lias been a good deal of newspaper correspondence on the subject, and generally opinions have been against absolute control. Mr P. .1. Small, of Manawntu, has been very active in bis advocacy of absolute control. In a recent letter published in the “ Evening Post,” Mr Small said: “We desire to place ourselves in the position of a manufacturer of any standard article,” and exercise control over the price and terms. To this a “ Retired Farmer” replies as follows: “„lr Small really means that they desire that all the butter and cheese manufacturers should combine to try mid get a higher price from the British consumer. Combination in restraint of trade was, the other day, condemned by Sir Francis Hell, who said that manufacturers of electric copper wire were combining and charging an excessive price for wire, and the Government would deal with this combine and demand that prices be competitive. As the Dairy Control Hoard was set up by the act of Sir Francis Hell’s Government, and as this board now proposes to control prices in London, will not the Hritisb Government regard the control in the same light as Sir Francis Hell regards the eoppei wire 1 combine ’? There is nothing to prevent any Individual manufacturer of !mtter controlling or dealing with his butter in any way lie thinks fit. lie can sell it forward before he makes it. or he can bold it for twelve months after lie makes it ; and he can ask any price lie cares lor it. Hut oi course, the man who eats it lias the right to say what he will pay for the butter. Mr Small cannot speak lor all the manufacturers ol butter and cheese, because probably more than 50 ler cent are opposed to ‘ absolute control.’ J venture to say that the Kairaoga Company to which Mr Small is a ; upplier, is opposed to absolute control, and the same applies to the majority of t.i 5 M.anawatu factories. 1 Glide we will find that Mr Small is noi. v jicing the considered views ol the I'.ii"’-

vis in Ins district, but is ediG m iu support of extremists from another i big dairying centre in Die Nor-': Island. The plain truth is tlmt the individual dairy companies prefer to control their own output instead oi lianaing it over to the tender mei-ies ol a Control Hoard who can do with A'; I at they like, and set! when, they like.” FALL IN FROZEN MEAT.

For the first time since l-'ie opening !of the season the hoiul # )n quo! atiots j. for N.X. mutton and lamb ilc.-'io-l last week, anil although th; fall in every ease was less than Id per Hi there is considerable concern uir.ongft those interested in the trade. Onmi; to the very high prices that have ti'-n ruling there has heen little < r no i i.l. business passing, consequently to Imp their machinery in motion the freezing companies have heen obliged 10 (pirate on their own account, and it is contended that the prices paid. ( wing to the pace set hv certain tnnip’i vs at otil outset, have been mostly above London parity. The fall in mutton and lamb by itself is not of su.-ii material importance, hut when tak 'll in conjunction with, the drop in the va lies of the by-products of the freezing factories, it becomes serious. Yiuol, tallow and pelts have all fallen recently and the cumulative effect is mat it represents a drop of os per head on wethers and ewes and -Is on lambs. Perhaps if meat prices do not lull lower the position may not he serious, but if there is a further fall u wiM spell heavy losses to the freezing companies. On January 31. according to the Meat Board figures there -veie in store and on hoard ships in New ('.i nland about 800,000 carcases of land) anil <IOO,OOO carcases of mutton, all bought at extreme prices anil on vl nil losses must lie made. The position is not n pleasant one for the .-mailer and financially weak companies.