DAIRY CONTROL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 34, 3 May 1927, Page 7

DAIRY CONTROL

LABOUR PARTY POLICY MR. HOLLAND AT HAMILTON INTERESTS OF PRIMARY PRODUCERS (From Our Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, To-day. Vigorous condemnation of the Prime Minister’s atitude in the present Dairy Control crisis was'uttered by Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, in an address at Hamilton last night, when he said New Zealand dairymen should request a full account of his actions on the matter while in London. Mr. J. R. Fow, mayor, presided and said the statements of the Leader of the Labour Party on the subject were of vital importance to the farmers of the Waikato, and were welcomed. Mr. Holland stated that control existed not only in New Zealand but in Tooley Street, where the merchants controlled the position without consideration for the producers of New Zealand or the consumers of Britain, and a suggestion for overcoming difficulties would be welcomed. (Applause.) Ever since produce had gone to Britain from this country there had been a price fixed, but Tooley Street had fixed the price without the slightest consideration either for the producers here or the consumers there. (Applause.) As soon as Dairy Control came into force the Tooley Street merchants set themselves out to smash it One organisation of interwoven vested interests passed a resolution, which was forwarded to other organisations of the same interests, urging them to pass similar resolutions and forward them to the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, at the Hotel Cecil, with a view to letting him see how spontaneous and widespread the opposition was. (Laughter.) The speaker commented on the fact of the Press Association permitting a cablegram a column long to be sent out of New Zealand from an opponent of control, which was calculated to do great harm to the cause. The speaker, incidentally, referred to what he described as the unfairness of the United Press Association in stifling reports of his speeches, while circulating at length remarks of his opponents. The Press Association, he said, obtained immense concessions from the Post and Telegraph Department, and while it might be worth this sum to get a good dissemination of news, the country was at least entitled to get equal attention to all sides of the case, and the Press Association should know no party. Referring to numerous resolutions passed by farmers’ organisations about the Dominion being antagonistic to the Prime Minister and the present Government over the question of control, Mr. Holland said that inevitably the people in the mass would get what they voted for. The farmers of the Dominion were getting what they voted for. Mr. Holland went on to declare that the dairy farmers of New Zealand were entitled to demand from Mr. Coates a full statement covering his. line of action, especially during the month of October, and particularly in the matter of his cable of October 26, in which he practically assailed the London manager, Mr. Wright, who at that time he had not even met. Mr. Holland said New Zealand would be wise to uphold the board against Tooley Street, and if necessary against the Reform Government, in order to safeguard the interests of the primary producers here as well as the British consumers. It was imperative that our marketingshould be conducted on lines that would eliminate all elements which gambled in people’s food supplies.