WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 June 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

DAIRY BOARD. OPENED TO PUBLIC GAZE. (Spatial to " Guardian WELLINGTON. June Hi. The meeting of the members of tho Notv Zealand Dairy Produce Control Board yesterday was enlivened by a lengthy statement by Mr lorns, a member who returned to the Dominion just the other day after spending nearly two years at the London Agency, the- selling end of the Board’s activities. The statement was not allowed to appear iti I lie evening papers, hut it was released in time lor tho morning journals and must have made very interesting reading tor a large number of dairy farmers and others associated with the Dominion's principal primary industry. Mr lorn?, was fm the " control ’’ ticket at the first election of member' o! the Board and presumably he was sent to London to give effect to the settled policy of tbe triumphant majority. He had not boon at the Agency long, as he explained to bis colleagues yesterday, before lie came to realise (lint the views of the Board did not harmonise with those of the wholesalers and distributors. and that il the goodwill and co-operation ol these traders were to be retained their legitimate traditions and customs, tbe. growth ol many years, would have to lie respected. Mr fonts in his .statement yesterday did not renounce the doctrine ol control, as ho had interpreted it for himself, but lie condemned absolutely the system of price-fixing attempted by the Board and held it responsible for having very gravely impaired the progress of the industry.

DI EKE BENGES OK OPINION. Nor did Mr lorns's timely review ol the situation stop short at the impeachment of price-fixing. The impetuous voting man from the Wairarapu had kept his eyes wide open during his sojourn in .London and had seen many tilings he. thought open to criticism. The manager appointed to the Agency, lie declared, had arrogated himself an independent authority he never should have exercised. When it .suited his purpose ho had ignored the existence of the two members of the Board who had been sent. Home to collaborate with him. Habitually he had carried on communications with the New Zealand office without any reference to the resident members of the Board, and had consulted with them only when he found their concurrence in some particular course absolutely indispensable. In these circumstances, Mr lorns con tended, any useful team work was impossible. and the interests of the producers were hound to suffer. 'then there wero other causes of dissension, real enough, if Mr lorns’s story is to be taken at its face value. As chairman of the Agency, Mr lorns had protested repeatedly against the payment of a bonus of .‘is Id a crate for cheese graded as “ Einest ” which on arrival in London was indistinguishable from cheese graded “ First.” The Board’s insistence upon the higher price tor “Finest” than for tho “First” had resulted in large quantities of “Finest” being left in store and finally in the issue of an edict by the Board that “ First ” should not be sold until the stocks of “ Finest ” had been reduced. Then, of course, a large number of buyers sought what they wanted from one or another of the Board's rivals. SLANDERS REFUTED.

Mr lorns, naturally, could not allow the aspersions that laid been cast upon tlic Prime Minister and Mr Stronacb f’aterson in connection with their usso'iation with the Dairy Board to pass unheeded. “The truth of the matter, which can be verified by any number of witnesses,” be said, “ is that while in London Mr Coates strove to the utmost to bring about a satisfactory settlement of tbe difficulties besetting the Agency and the Trade. He spared himself in nothing. He gave no thought to politics or popularity. Tlie interests of the producers were his one concern.” “As for Mr Paterson, the Government’s representative at the Agency,” lie continued, “ 1 speak with it very intimate knowledge of this gentleman’s services when I say they were invaluable, not only to tbe Agency and the Board, hut even more so to the producers. He always was courteous and precise and yet always insisted upon tlie rights of his position. I was very sorry indeed to hear of his resignation. It is business experience and understanding, bis knowledge of tlie whole affairs of the Board and bis proved integrity made him tho ideal man for the position lie occupied, and whoever his successor may he, liis services will he much missed.” Tins of course, was in reply to attacks made upon Mr Coates and Mr Paterson by prominent members of tbe Board, and it is sufficiently emphatic to carry ronvictiQii with its pronouncement. PUBLICITY. This was the first meeting "of the Board at which any account of the proceedings had reached the public without official censorship. Air Torus broke through all precedents and observances by handing copies of bis statement to tlie representatives of tbe Press. Whether or not this will lead to the institution of a new practice remains to ho seen ; but meanwhile Mr lorns expressed frankly, even to the length of brutality, bis aversion to censored publicity. “ There can he no doubt, T think, that much harm lias been done to tlie interests of the producers by the publication of the * Exporter ’ newspaper under the auspices of tlie Board,” be said.- “ There is a free Press in this country, which the whole world in commending, and surely this ought to be good enough for all of us. One oT tho large dairy companies in New Zealand had asked each of its four agents to contribute £'2oo towards tlie institution of the ‘ Exporter.’ and the paper is now being used to further the ideas and interests of individual members of the Board.” There is nothing very heinous in folk co-operating for the purpose of maintaining a newspaper for tlie purposes of their own propaganda ; but it certainly seems a little incongruous that such a body as tbe Dairy Board should bold its meetings behind dosed and carefully guarded | doors.. It is stated locally that the | two new Free-Marketers just elected to | the Board both are favourable to the i admission of representatives of the Press to its meetings. .