WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 January 1930, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

TH’E DATRY INDUSTRY IS ALL WELL?

(h-peoial Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, January 9

Mr J. B. Mac Ewan, who has just returned from a leisurely tour through Canada, England and the Continent, is not satisfied with what he saw of the part New Zealand dairy produce is playing in the London and other markets. The Dominion’s butter, he said in the course of a chat this afternoon, happily is holding its own fairly \Vell, hut there are exceptions to this general rule which prejudice the whole trade riiOre or less. It is New Zealand cheese, it seems, that has deplorably failed to hold its own, at any rate on tlie London market. Mr Mac Ewan mentioned several instances in which he had seen New Zealand cheese sent to retailers returned on account of it being wholly unsuitable 'for their trade Many other instances of the same kind had been quoted to him by the distributors. It was indeed a matter of general comment that the average quality of New Zealand cheese had materially deteriorated in recent years.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

Mr Mac Ewan, who tempermentally is much more of an optimist than a pessimist, and has large interests' in the dairy industry himself, urges that immediate action shorild be taken to place the oversea trade on a sounder footing. It is either that, he says, or catastrophe. He would have the Dairy Board get into touch with the Exporters’ Association, the Butter and Cheese Makers’ Association and the State Dairying Service with a view to ascertaining where the trouble lies. Mr Mac Ewan himself believes that the trouble begins at tin’s end and what is needed is a drastic revision of factory methods and shipping provisions. Towards this end he would recall Mr H. E. Davies, the Dairy Board’s very efficient London Manager, whose observation and experience at first hand would be of the utmost valufe to' tlie • > • ; y' Board. If these are the best steps towards reform then they ought to be taken at the earliest possible moment.

FIVE AND A HALF PER CENT

Tlie Government’s issue of stock at per cent, for the purposes of “State advances, land for settlement arid funding other accounts that are providing for developmental works” has aroused less disapproval' than was expected. The “Evening Post” offers perfectly reasonable criticism. “We question whether there is real warrant for s'Ueh state activity now T , it says. “There is a* definite risk of over-building .If the ihindM ivqre easily obtainable, there might be less objection to free State lending, but when the Government has to go on the market at 5] per cent, we sriy advisedly that there should be diserifniriatibh in granting advance's applications. Large families inadequately housed' can still be assisted, but other borrowers, especially where there is a speculative element, should not be ericoufaged to regard the State as universal provider.” The Prime Minister himself can but admit the soundness of these contentions and with money at oj- per cent, he' may be trusteed to move warily.

THE DEPARTMENTAL MERGER

It is announce this morning that the compilation of the proposed amalgtftfon of the Labour Department and the completion of the proposed, amalgamation of the’Labour Department and the Immigration Department has been indefinitely postponed. Pending further consideration by Cabinet the two departments will continue their separate entities. This determination does not necessarily mean the final abandonment of the various schemes that have been suggested for redueig the cost and increasing the efficiency of various branches of the public service; but it probably means that Cabinet has encountered unexpected difficulties besetting its good intentions which will delay any further progress for a time. Meanwhile it is becoming more and more obvious that the service is largely over-staffed and that the good work done by Mr Massey seven or eight years ago in reducing expenditure in this direction did not survive even to the day of his decease. Superfluous expenditure is not only an unnecessary burden upon the taxpayers, hut also, in a great measure, a deteriorating influence upon the quality of the labour employed.