THE DAIRY REGULATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 272, 10 November 1908, Page 4

THE DAIRY REGULATIONS.

REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PREMIER. "A UK AM TO HEART TALK!" A large deputation of farmers, representing practically the whole of Tarunaki from Elthaui northwards, gathered in New Plymouth yesterday morning to meet Sir Joseph Ward. The deputation met first to select speakers aud to decide in some measure upon the manner of making the representations concerning t'«« objections raised to the dairy regulations, .which formed the principal matter in the minds oi the gentlemen present. ilr. H. Okey presided I at the preliminary meeting, where some

difficulty was experienced in selecting a trio of influential and capable men who would go for the abolition of the regulations about which so much i has lieen heard of late. ilr. A. Morton, chairman of directors of the Mangorei Dairy Co., and a member of the executive of the National Dairy Association, was, when our reporter entered the room, declining to b» one of the speakers if he had to oppose the regulations ill toto. If that were the stand the speakers had to take up the meeting would have to appoint someone else. Mr. Okey pointed out that it was Useless to be divided. The speakers

must be at one on this point. It was pointed out that if the meet 1 * ing objected to the regulations so strongly that they would be withdrawn by the Government, they would fall I back 011 the Dairy Industry Act, and nothing would be gained. Mr. Morton again declined to speak for the meeting if lie had to oppose the regulations in toto. Mr. J. S. Connett (chairman of the

Bell Block Dairy Co.) thought that such a total objection would not be representative of the wishes of the dairymeu of the province. Mr. T. O. Hodgson said that if the registration fee were done away with and the right of appeal by a farmer to an appeal board were given, the regulations would be acceptable enough. Speaking a-: the representative of oue of the biggest dairying concerns in tliej province, lie favored inspection within I reasonable bounds, and he was convinced that it would have to be carried oat either by t.he factory companies or by the Government With these two objectionable features removed, he would be inclined to let the Government inspectors do the work. Mr. J. Brown (chairman of the Maketawa Dairy Co.) said he was opposed to the whole of these regulations. Mr. Herlihy (chairman of the Moa Dairy Co.) took a similar view. Mr. W. Ambury considered the speakers should strongly urge the Premier to have the registration fee abolished, and to provide for appeal boards. It was eventually decided that Messrs J. Brown (Makctawa)* D. Herlihy (Inglewood), and R. Turnbuil (Lcpperton) should act as spokesmen. In the midst of a. general discussion, Mr Okey said that Sir Joseph Ward was awaiting the convenience of the ingMr. Brown pointed out that as yet they had not decided on what stand the speakers were to take. Mr. Okey: You'll have to decide it amongst yourselves. Whilst he was away, the meeting arranged the speakers' plan of campaign. Mr. Brown remarked again that as far as he was concerned he was opposed altogether to inspection. Mr. G. A. Adiam lOakura Dairy Co.): That's right. Throw them out, and let the factories inspect the yards themselves.

Mr. T. 0. Hodgson: Which will mean that nothing will be done at alt. THE DEPUTATION. Mr. 11. Ukey, ill'., introduced the deputation to the Premier, ami explained that there was a feeing throughout the province that the regulations hi*. J been framed without the farmers asking for them, and the farmers were opposed to them. There was a very general 00-1 jection to the registration fee, although it was only a small amount. He ri fered to it as a transposition of the iieep tax to the dairymen. If the l'i-niier could show the farmers that the Government did not wisli to make anything out of the registration fee be thought the farmers would fall in with the re.l of the regulations. He then called on Mr. Joseph Brown, who opened by declaring his absolute opposition 10 inspection of any kind, lie contended that the dairy farmers themselves, with the aid of the separator and the refrigerator, had worked out their ow:i salv.ition, raising the price received for their butter from .'!il per pound 20 years ago to 110s per ewt. to-day. If they could du that the farmers could be depended on to get along without any Government inspection. Ilis own idea was that tlie nianag: r of the factory, oil the receiving stage, was the man who would get a pure milk supply, and l.c instanced the Maketawa Dairy ror.ipany. whose manager visited the farms himself. If he could n"t get purr- milk no Government inspector would.

Mr. Turnbull followed. Jle stated that he was a private dairyman, aud his results .compared well with the factory results. He did not see any need f or Government interference with private, milkers, who had to be more particular with their milk than the farmers whose milk was all mixed at the factory, lie quqted Messrs. Weddel and Co. : s report that 07 per cent, of tho butter shipped from .Xew Zealand last year was first grade. The tax on cows, he considered, was one of the most unpopular things ever introduced as far as the farmer was concerned. Whilst materially Increasing the burden of the farmers, it would not assist the industrv.

Mr. D. Berlihy was the next speaker. He referred to the fart that New Zealand produce was second only to Denmark 011 the London market. This had not been brought about by the Government expert who toured the country, but by the intelligent directors of the dairy companies. The Government had assisted somewhat, of course. Mr. Herlihv wanted to know at whose instigation the dairy regulations had been drafted, and by whom they were framed. He stated that the Hon. McXab brought them down, withdrew then, and amended them. He strongly condemned some of the clause*, particularly with regard to the inspection of milkers' clothing, and so on. The experience of Denmark might be quoted, but if we took their dairy regulations, why not take the whole of their legislation? He understood that the Minister had a whole battalion of inspectors ready to let loo»e upon the dairy farmers. but iie thought it. would bo better to draft them on to the co-operative works, where they would have to do. something for their money. Mr. Brown objected to the first clause in the regulations, which <he said wis to the effect that the manager or secretary of a dairy company was liable to a line of €5 if any milk were -supplied from an unregistered dairy. Several gentleman protested that Mr Brown misunderstood the clause.

Mr Brown then summed up the wi-lus of the meeting for (1) abolition ot this lir>f clause; (-1 the appointment an appeal board; CD the abolition of the. registration feu. Sir Joseph Ward ex-pre-.sul hi- plea-

sure at being present, to hear the views of the farmers of Taranaki. Jt wa» hardly necessary for him to point out that a political cry was being attached to the regulations. These dairy regulations had been compiled, die explained,! by the Agricultural Department's olVr cers, the Minister having been requested by leading dairymen to ensure bettev control of dairies and consequent Improvement in the quality of our dairy products. The Minister promised 'o have regulations drafted and .submitted to the Stock Committee of Parliament, so that that committee could consider them and call evidence of the farnuis of the Dominion in order that they might be perfected. This was weil known to members of parliament, and to some iff the farmers who subsequently gave evidence before the Stock Committee. and they knew also that the regulation* were not intended to come into operation before duly next. As a matter of fact, they would not now be[ put into operation until September next! and in tin* nvantiiue the farmers were! invited to put their objections and sug-J gestions before the Minister. It wts quite wrong to believe that any member

of the Government <n of l'ailiituetit j wuiild suggest any regulations t.liil' would hurt the tanners. Rather tin'}' were anxious to aid them .by every means in their power. Of course, if the farmers "wisiied it, they could dispense with all the assistance giveu uy the Government, and all the protection of the industry, they could get back to the old state of affairs, and they must

be, prepared then to lose money from the competition of outside countries. These regulations were drawn by the Department, not by lueu who knew nothing about the subject, as had been suggested by Mr. llerlihy. Tiley were framed in ttic interests of the dairy farmers, and when, they were brought .before Parliament they had no date upon them. Ifad they been ready for putting into operation, and intended to lie put into operation, they would have borni the date when they were to be enforced. The fact that no date was there

showed that they were merely meant 10 I bring out the ideas of the farmers lor whom the regulations were framed. Some of the gentlemen prcseni bad likened the registration fee to the sheeplax, which was wrong. The sheep-lax, ill existence in Mew-Zealand for mans years, had been instituted to assist tlte sheep-owners to eradicate stall, and there was 110 money that they had paid so cheerfully as their litle contribution to the cost of stumping out that disease. The result was that Sew Ze'a,land was now known throughout the United Kingdom as the country where scab was unknown, and our mutton in consequence brought a better price in the English markets. !

Referring to the contention that the regulations were unnecessary because 07 per cent, of our export buter last ye.il' was first grade, he said it was "first" 01 New Zealand produce, but not first when v eoinpared with the Danish produce. If it were so, instead of getting 2s a cwt. less than the Danes got for their butter, we would get 2s more. We should be getting it now, for the people who distributed our butter at Home said our best butter was better than the Danish. But there was want of uniformity in the quality. What did the colony's chief agricultural officer say, iniguided and utiinllucuccd by Government or po--1 lilies'; lie said thai if all our butter were equal 10 the best the farmers would be getting £50,000 a year more for their produce now. Another official put. the figure at £BO,OOO. These men were to be believed, and if the Government showed a desire directly or .indirectly to get those uniform results, even if they went the wrong way about it, they should not be blamed, but should be given assistance and advice. That was what they asked for. The Premier conceded that the present state oi the butter and cheese business was due largely to the efforts of the individual. He eould carry iiis mind back to when the Government proposed the grading oi

dairy produce at the ports of shipment. There had been greater opposition to that than was being offered to these regulations. There was more noise still when the Government instituted inspection of meat killed for export, and still more tremendous opposition when the Government appointed veterinarians to inspect the farmers' stock. He did not think that any dairy company would determine to ship its butter -;o London without the Xew Zealand Government grader's certificate of quality. As for the moat export companies, lie knew that tlic Government inspection had done wonders in. the sale of our meat at Home, for the buyer knew that the meat had all been passed by the Government expert at the works. He would undertake to say that the dairy people, who had worked up tlieir business to a system of sale on Government certilieaie, would not lie able to achieve the same results by all the efforts of the managers and suppliers. Vet the Government was abused, comb-ma:'*! j ruthlessly, when it went a step further | ill endeavoring to secure better pri - j for our produce. Xo one else in t!if ! colony could do the work that ih" ■ ■ vernment was doing. The /sir->.y companies would not, lor instance, ■■ nd experts Home as tile Government hid done, lie would advise the farmers to see tha-t their views were placed before I the Minister, so that the regulations I could be made of the greatest value I > I he industry, which would very soan give a bigger export item than wool. As for the "cow-tax." there was 110 such tiling. Tlrcrc had for years been a registration fee foi- the sellers of milk, and he knew that the milk vendors in tile large towns thoroughly believed in the registration and inspection of the sources of supply. So would his farmer firends here, if they were living in to vn alid depending 011 someone else for milk. He was coniident that when tile elections were over, and the farmers could view the regulations with unbiassed mind, they would recognise their value and the good intentions of them. The . suggestion that the Minister had enile.ivnrcd to force the regulations through. ! and to injure the farmers, was untrue. ( for the Government was thoroughly in- , icrested in the welfare of the whole of . the people of the Dominion, anil would - not hurl any section of the people. There was 110 earthly reason why the appeal boards should not be set up. Air. I Brown's idea of iho ,C.> line was quite , wrong. Anyone who =.aid there was any , intention to fine the factory company . or its officers for the defections of a , supplier was saying what wa- not cor- . reet. The amount of the registration , fee was inlinitesimal compared to the J1 expenditure in the interest* of farmers—- . ,3s a head over every man, woman anil j child in the Dominion—to keep alieid . of Canada, the Argentine, Ireland, and other competing countries. lie was ! sure that if the matter were left to the . organisation of the farmers themselves, not half of them would put their hands in their pockets to pay for it. and no- ' thing would be done. The achievements of

tliu Government were sufficient eontr.t- ---' diction of the. theory tliat the Government. was hostile to the interests of the I farmers, and many farmers had told him they believed in these regulations, (inly one section was opposed lo them. Tie [ mentioned thai the Government "was prepared to carry gravel ami cement on ] the railways free of charge where needed by farmer* to improve their farm buildings. He knew enough of dairying ' to know that the mail who put down ( proper floors in ibis byres very soon re- j imlmrsed himself by the great, saving of ! labor. (Hear. hear). Concluding, l.e Tsaid that for the past nineteen years the . Government had done its best to help the farmers, and it was most unlikeiy that after doing an enormous amount in 1 a practical way the leopard was going to change hi-' '.pots in 1008. lie promised that llie representation* of tli-j deputation would receive full consideration by the Government. The Premier , resumed hi* «eat amidst applause. OTHER MATTERS.

Tn answer to Mr. A. Morton, who asked that the Arbitration and Conciliation Act should not be extended to fanners, the Premier .-aid that no member of the Government could interfere with the existing law. lie had uot heard of .he law proving oppressive in the industry. Mr. Okey brought forward Hie matter of the prohibition of the boned meat fr;:llie by the Hoard of Trade,l and pointed out that this meant a loss! of considerable revenue to Taranakij fanners, lie mentioned (hal the New Plymouth Porougli Council hud made special provision for tile boned meat trade at its abattoir*. The Premier -aid that very strong representations had been made to the Home Government, slating that a* far as New Zealand meat was concerned all of it was inspected by Government officials ami passed before being exported, aud that compensation was paid for all beasts condemned iV s unlit. The Government was doing all it could in the matter. and uould continue to do so. T r pou the motion of Mr. Okey, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded tinPremier. A similar vote to Mr. Okey was given at. the instance of Mr. J. Carey.