THE DAIRY CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 April 1926, Page 4

THE DAIRY CONFERENCE

BOARD TAKES CHARGE. FILLING THE CHAIR IN ADVANCE (Contributed..) 'J lie policy of the Dairy Produce Export Control Board, so far as it lias been disclosed to the public, appears to be a subtle compound of extreme. Socialism ami narrow Toryism, a botch, potcli of ingredients as diverse as they are elusive. Its tendency towards extreme Socialism is indicated by tbe determination of the Board to seize upon the property of protesting producers and dispose of it just as it pleases without consulting the interests of any of the parties intimately affected by tbe transaction. In justification of this high-handed proceeding the Board has an Act of Parliament at its back. Whether or not this Act is good law is a question beyond tile province of the mere layman. But if a body of this kind can be clothed with such .sweeping authority as .Mr Grounds and his colleagues are about to exercise, wlmt is to prevent a Labour Government. which the Dominion is bound to have sooner or later, bringing every industry in the country under similar conditions I- it was the Labour members of .the House ot Representatives who enabled the present "control” legislation to bo placed on the Statute Book. They made no secret of their desire to “socialise'’ the whole of the national industries and were openly impatient of Mr Massey's depreciation of unnecessary compulsion. To-day they are ( nmplaining bitterly that the Government lias stolen tills particular plank of their platform. Their opportunity will come and with such a precedent as they have in the existing legislation no one, withholding his protest now, will lie aide logically to say them nay. .RIGGING- THE FRANCHISE. The Tory opportunism of the Dairy Board in even more flagrant than its extreme Socialism, and. il possible, a still more impudent invasion ot Unconstitutional riglils of the individual and the conimuijity. The basis ol all popular representation in ibis country is manhood and womanhood snlfragc. The fight for equality of sacrifice and equality of op'iurtunity was won years ago. But the Dairy Board, with powers. it seems, delegated to il by Die Minister of Agriculture, lias decreed t'-at ihe voting at the meeting ol delegates to be held in Wellingnn on April 28 to recommend to the Government a method of electing members of the Board shall be by tons of dairy nrodnee and not by individual suppliers or their representatives. “Dairy enmpanies.” the edict runs. “l:> have- one vote for every 10i> tans ol butter up lo 003 ions and one additional vote for every additional lot) tons ol butter or portion thereof. Two tons of cheese to be taken as equal to one lon of bolter.” Mere is a return to the methods of forty years ago—when men and women counted tor less than die possessions—in order that the Government may be advised by a minority of big producers instead ol by a majority of ibe producers as a v.'mle. A Inree m.an-ilv of llie members ol Parliament ; a large majority of the lartory suppliers, a large majority ol the iurlorv directors and the Prime Minister himself have expressed themselves as favourable to tire adoption ot the ward system in electing the members of the Board. This being the ease there was little need to eall a eonfeienee to :iscerlain (lie wishes ol a majority oi

those associated with, the dairy indust rv. POSSESSIONS BKKORE MEN. But- the chairman of the Dairy Board, who in the lir.st instance iiad announced that the conference would decide for it sell the method of voting, appears lo have taken fright at tile prospect of majority rule a nil to have devised that noruicious. method iusl quoted. Assuming that id! the dairy factories in the Dominion are represent (ii at the conference tlai’e will be under this system 1232 voles to he exercised. Of these votes the North Island, with 31.1)111 suppliers, will have S">7 votes, vhd" the Scum Island, with “0.010 will have only 300 votes. In ojber words, in the Sowth Island every 31> suppliers v ill have one vote, while in tin* ,-s-nitb Island il v. ill lake 1)7 suppliers to secure a vole. Auckland province with BLlslS sunpliers will exercise 433 votes. while Canterbury nrovinee with 7.033 suppliers will exercise only II) votes. II the voting strengths ot those two provinces were determined by the number of suppliers Auckland would have 332 votes and Oanterbuiy lot) votes. But il is unneeessai'y to go on emphasising tile gross unfairness ol the system ol voting decreed bv the Dairy Board.

It stands condemned as an impudent dev ice on the part of certain members of the Board to get- their own way in spite of tlie opposition of a large majority of the producers. THE ‘GOVERNMENT'S OBLIGATIONS. What is the Government going to do about tlie matter-' Thirty-six years ago the political party from which tlie present- Reformers evolved gave New' Zealand manhood suffrage and abolished plural voting, 'llie present Prime Minister is responsible for the good name of tlie party lie leads, and it is inconceivable titat lie will allow it m prostitute one of the greatest of its traditions at the bidding of half a dozen irresponsible individuals who are seeking some sectional advantage. Mr Coates himself lias admitted I rankly that he does not like the idea of applying compulsion to the greatest of the country's rural industries; lie lias staved definitely that lie prefers the ward system of electing the members of the Dairy Board to any other system; he has declared tmrservcdly that he will give Parliament an opportunity to reconsider llie whole position at the earl, iest possible moment, and he lias implied broadly that the Dairy Board will not lie allowed to exercise its compulsory powers until he is satisfied personally this slop is absolutely necessary in the general interest of the industry. In these circumstances, people who are looking m Mr (Mates for the solution of the g'-eai problem bequeathed to him bv his former chief will he both astonished and alarmed if lie allows the Dairy Board by distorting the purpose of the franchise t <> obtain a delusive expression oi opinion troiti tire conference to assemble in 'Wellington at the oid of the present month. Tim fact that Mr Grounds, the Chairman i f tin- Board and obviously a much biased person, lias appointed himself chairman of the gathering conveys its ov. n si:*;nificanco.