City Milk Supplies

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 53, 6 March 1944, Page 4

City Milk Supplies

About a year ago the Government set flip a commission to inquire into and report on the subject of the milk supply in the four chief centres of the Dominion and such other places as it deemed necessary. This brings Palmerston North potentially into the picture. The commission consisted of a solicitor, a dairy economist and a secretary of a Labour Representation Committee. Such a personnel does not appeal as one to give knowledgable, practical consideration to the problems involved. However, this seems to be the way of the Government. And the report also seems to be of a nature that would please the political party in power. Briefly to summarise, the whole purport of the report, together with the action the Government intends to take in regard to it, will be to introduce more control by more committees and a further extension of Socialism, with a heavy blow aimed at that private enterprise which really did make New Zealand. Monopolies are to be fostered in the three cities other than Wellington. Prices are to be regulated to two decimal points of a penny. The pasteurisation of all milk distributed is recommended as a desirable national policy. The report should not be condemned lock, stock and barrel, for there arc certain aspects of it worthy of study and discussion; dealing in particular with quality safeguards such as the standards of shed hygiene, the accrediting of sound herds and the processing of milk. But a great deal of the objective sought in these spheres could have been perfectly well promoted by amendment to the Health Regulations in cooperation with the Agricultural Department. It does appear that the commissioners responsible for the report were considerably infected with the Socialist bug.