PRODUCERS ONLY ON DAIRY BOARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 57, 30 May 1927, Page 9

PRODUCERS ONLY ON DAIRY BOARD

CONFERENCE’S DECISION GOVERNMENT NOT WANTED ‘\y E can Ho without the Government nominee on the Dairy Produce Control Board,” was the unanimous decision of the Fourth Annual North Auckland Dairy Conference to-day. ' tJiHE following resolution was put Dair f v OI ? VarCl by the Bay of Elands to lreMS ny: That ste P s be taken the vJ'° vernment to reconstitute Pnn n 1? y Broduc e Board so that the Board _ consist only of primary producers representatives.” Supporting the resolution, Mr. A. C. Hingston urged the conference to “put } fh°ulder to the wheel and give it mVetotL" 101 !'’' a When the system of marketing had been inaugurated a suggestion had been made that thS iv°oiom rne 2 t ., W ? S e°ing to finance the and tllat it should have a reprei™™‘r(i 0n e the board. The small ti^SYio 1 the Government was prepared ° f’L™ dld not warrant the board's 4 . Up ' If Ule Government had gone m for a loan of £3,000,000 the position would have been different. The or , WObld have been independent l looley fatreet and the produce could have been delivered at the door and the cash demanded. As it was the overdraft of the banks and the private

assistance practically equalled a three million loan. “Past experience has shown that the Government representative on the board has been nothing but an obstruction, continued the speaker, “and we can do away with him. We should Have primary producers only.” Mr J . H. Hayward (Maungatapere): l i] e farmer is quite capable of looking after his own affairs. The Government has no monetary interest on the board and we would be much better without the political influence. The chairman (Mr. F. McDonald) send that it would be better to e , r TV. n , e . as ar as possible the political influence. The marketing of the produce, he ° n ’ en tirely the producers’ anair. it had been said that the iarmer was not a man capable of runmng a business. But every successful iarmer must have a certain amount of commercial ability; he must be able ** ?, uy and sell - At the marketing end of the business the methods of 25 years ago were unchanged. The board would get along much better if the Government nominee was eliminated. Hardin & (Dargaville) said tnat there was a danger of the question becoming a “shuttlecock on the floor of the House.” The producers should be prepared to support the resolution by combined action throughout New Zealand. A remit should be sent to the National Dairy Association s conference at Dunedin. Mr. W. Grounds: A similar resolution is to be discussed by the South Island conference. The chairman: There is a principle involved in this and it is imperative to say what we will do. The resolution was carried unanimously and it was decided to send it to the Dairy Association and to all members of the House of Representatives, who were urged to secure the condition asked for.

GOODFELLOW SUPPORTED

MEETING AT OPOTIKI (From Our Own Correspondent.) orOTIKI, To-day. There was a good attendance of farmers at Opotiki on Saturday night, who listened attentively to an address by Mr. Dynes Fulton, chairman of directors, and Mr. PL. H. Sterling, general manager, of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Coy., Ltd. Mr. H. R. Good, chairman of the Opotiki Dairy Association, introduced the speakers, who spoke in support of Mr. Goodfellow’s candidature to the Dairy Board. Mr. Sterling traced the history of his company, and explained why the company set up an office in London. The speaker said various serious problems were facing the farmers, and there was need of co-operation, and reason for setting up the Dairy Control Board. Mr. Sterling replied to the statement issued in a circular by Mr. Goodfellow’s opponent, to the effect that farmers had an inherent right to dispose of produce as they thought fit. He said this \wis an absolute fallacy. The speaker’s company was the foundation of the present movement. It was essential that farmers progress and get more for their labours'.

The statement had been made that the company was a huge octopus, out to crush other companies. This was not so. The company was endeavouring to work in harmony with other companies. Mr. Goodfellow was seized with the desire to help the producers in the present critical, period in the history of the dairy industry. Other countries were turning attention to dairying, and New Zealand must look to other markets. Mr. Goodfellow was responsible for the development of a fair trade to the East, also to America. When recently in England Mr. Goodfellow found no evidence that we bad lost the goodwill of the people of England. Abandoning the control oc prices was a disastrous movement. It had not had a fair trial. We were not getting the true value of our produce. Mr. Goodfellow said there had been a pulling down, and they must build up again. Mr Fulton then addressed the meeting and said the condition of the country, and also that of the farmers was not good. Competition would get keener in future, and they must look out tor their resources, and improve the position. He outlined the dairv industry in New Zealand, and said we produced 15,000 tons of butter m 1914 and it was estimated that the total for the present year would be 50,000 tons. Mr. Goodfellow was responsible for the reduction m the prices of butter boxes from 2s lOd to Is sd, and cheese crates from 3s 8d to The 2 'so slow” policy of the miners had caused the company to purchase a coal mine, and this was a great saving to the company which contried 50.000 tons of coal y«-aii>. It was essential that farmers should sfSirfw tirely Hue to ‘ h o e od( , ell „ lv was imbue! fellow . Mr. do a u he could for with the desire f e it the origithe producers. He sun but had nal proposals weie ‘ d them, to face f-‘