MR. GROUNDS SPEAKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 365, 28 May 1928, Page 11

MR. GROUNDS SPEAKS

REVIEW OF DAIRYING INDUSTRY CONTROVERSY WITH MR. GOODFELLOW A GENERAL review of the dairying- outlook of the Dominion, with specific reference to the resig-nation of Mr. W. Goodfellow from the Dairy Control Board, was given to a conference of North Auckland dairy factory delegates at Auckland this afternoon, by Mr. W. Grounds, chairman of the Dairy Control Board, who is the combatant-in-chief in the field of controversy with Mr. Goodfellow. There were present well over 50 delegates, as well as several members of Parliament.

jfr. Grounds, in opening, said that t he industry was pasing through a crisis, and although this had only now become evident to the public, the industry was already well through it. He* referred to the ‘ efforts in certain quarters to absorb the direction of the industry,” and asked his audience to bear in mind that while he was traversing the situation, he was speaking quite impersonally, and had no association with the vulgar idea of individual quar--16 Some time ago he had warned the industry of the consequences which would result if certain aspec ts of th» Control Act were eliminated, but he had been accused of having marched forward with his eyes closed. He left hia hearers to judge upon the merits of this accusation. Coming to the controversy between Mr. Goodfellow and himself, Mr. Grounds explained that th© board had been suspected as being responsible for the non-arrival of the nomination paper of a certain Mr. Booker. The board played no part whatever in the Hairy Board election, the returtng officer being an officer of the Agricultural He-

purtment. On this occasion (Monday last) it chanced that the office girl forgot to collect the registerel letter, which was shown by notice to be in the post. It was not till later that it was discovered that the registered letter contained the nomination of a Mr. Booker as a member of the board in the district which he (Mr. Grounds) now represented. Later in the day the returning officer wished to have the nomination accepted. despite the fact that nominal tions had closed, but he (Mr. Grounds) had not agre€*d with such a course. He knew, a month ago, however, that the officials of the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Hairy Company had intended placing forward a candidate to “clean up” himself. “When they reach the age of discretion,” he went on, “they will be more careful as to whom they convey their secrets.” They had counted the votes very carefully, he went on, but this overastute move had overstepped itself. (Proceeding'.)