THE DAIRY CONTROL.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 145, 12 August 1926, Page 4

THE DAIRY CONTROL.

NEVER before in the history of Parliamentary Government in New Zealand has any regulative measure been passed which has been nearly so important to the primary producers of this country as is the Dairy Export Control Bill, which has now become an Act, is in force, and will be enforced as from and including September 1 next. At this time of day it would be superfluous to recapitulate the purpose and scope of the Act, for it is one of the very few measures that the farmers have taken a sufficiently lively interest in to make themselves conversant with its purport. Not since the Leasehold v. Freehold controversies have the men on the land been so much interested in any single Bill before Parliament. And well they may take heed, for apart from the bitter and impassioned fight over Control, long drawn out and implacable, the Act may contain within it the seeds of either better or worse times for the dairy farmers of this Dominion, a country not altogether inaptly described as the Dairy Farm of the Empire. However, some few months ago we traversed both

sides of the question, and set out the i pros and cons as fairly as we were | ] able, and the gravamen of the former I ] article was that there was an urgent need for the internecine strife among ; dairymen to cease. Now that the measure has become law it is more than ever necessary that there should be unity in the interest of all concerned. Dairymen are now all in the same boat, and they must sink or sail together. Human nature being what it is, after a long and stern fight the losers would sometimes almost welcome misfortune which included their interests as well as those of opponents, if only for the weak and delusive satisfaction of being able to say : “ I told you so.” But the interests at stake in the present instance are so vast, so far-reaching, affecting not only the dairy producers, but the whole of the population of the Dominion, that attempts subversive of what has nowbecome law" may easily end disastrously for all concerned. Because of the endless internecine strife being waged among dairying interests, the progress of several movements for the welfare of the industry, such as herd-testing, cream-grading, exchange of information, and other matters have been retarded; parties that are actively hostile on one ground alone find it extremely difficult to meet each other on several ; neutral subjects of importance to all. For a further example, if the hatchet were buried it might be feasible for various co-operative companies in given zones or areas of territory to get together and come to some arrangement whereby the ruinous policy of canvassing and carting over the same districts might at least be discouraged, thus cutting down running costs, and also reducing the wear and tear on the roads, which the suppliers have to pay for, even though it does not happen to be deducted from their dairy cheques. In whatever direction one looks, the fact becomes apparent that if cooperative companies could only observe the principles of co-operation between themselves as they do in the management of their several individual companies, the costs of production would certainly be materially lessened. Those who are one-sided are ' often blinded by the struggle, and fail ‘ to see things in their true perspective, but the onlooker clearly perceives the ' various costly false moves of the game.

With the greatest clearness and strongest emphasis the English language can give command of, it may be said that the paramount need o.* the dairymen of New Zealand to-day is unanimity.