THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 132, 13 September 1910, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

PKOPOSED HOME UItADEKS. PItOPOSAL GIVEN ITS QUIETUS. | HON. T. M'KhNZIE TAKES OFF THE GLOVES. I Jn the House of llepresentatives last week, the Hon. T. Mivenzie referred in trenchant language to the proposal to appoint Home graders, as well as to ouie.r matters oi interest to Taranaki. I We give his remarks verbatum. He saia ! he was able to tell members of the House that the farmers were/assisting the Department and the Government in the pasteurization of the skimmed milk and whey, which would ultimately strike at the root of the diseases which were so serious. Progress was steadily being made, and in tlie right direction, because in that they would stop the i spread of tubercular disease. vVhat were the members of Taranaki doing now, and the very gentlemen who some tunc ago were perpetually calling out against the regulation of dairies? Now they never rose in the House without asking for more Inspectors and further i restrictions in connection with dairy I operations. And what did they actually ask for at the present time? They wanted a grader sent Home, who would absolutely have no status whatever, and yet he was to arbitrate in cases of disputes. The honourable member for Egmont had said that the grader would check every dispute that arose between seller ana buyer, whilst Mr. Hiue said that he (Hon. T. .Mackenzie) aid not understand the working of the Home svstem oi trade. \\ hen the deputation waited upon him, Mr. Harkness and Mr. Macfarlane said that this man who might be appointed as Home Grader would act as arbitrator, and that his decisions would be final. "1 asked how it could be done, and the speaker said they could include a clause in their conditions of sale specifying that the grader's decision would be nnal. Now, i ask those honourable members across the floor of the House if such a condition has ever been inserted"; 1 ask mat

question, but these Taranaki memoers make no reply. The honourable gciu.e----111 en evidently do not know, i again ask the honourable member for Taranaki if they inserted that condition? An Hon. member: There is no one there. You appoint the man. The Hon. Air. Mackenzie replied that there was no earthly use in burking the issue. If the honourable membeis in question knew anything about it they should know that unless it was specified in the conditions of sale, and unless the buyers had agreed to buy, subject to the Government grader's de-' cisions being final, there would be no use in calling him in, so that the conditions of sale should be agreed to prior to the appointment of tiie grader. He desired to say m connection with the sale of produce that those who were trading in London would not for one single moment think of allowing the grader appointed by the New Zealand Government, unless the conditions oi sale so provided, to go in and settle between the buyer anu seller. The thing would never be entertained. Therefore, to ask that a man be appointed there who had no status would not meet the case. It would be a sheer waste ot public money so far as determining differences between buyer and seller was concerned. He spoke with authority oi J these subjects, having been engaged in 'London lor three years selling .iNew Zealand produce and adjusting claims of all sorts. The claims that were uemg maUt lor appointment by Taranaki M.'s P. were something beyond comprehension. Only last ween a question was put on the Order (Paper by Mr. Okey wiiieh, if it had been given effect to, would have required the appointment of no less than 140 new Inspectors. An Hon. member: la Taranaki? The Hon. Mr. Mackenzie replied that as Taranaki exported one-third of the dairy produce of the Dominion one-third or forty-seven of the 140 officers would be required to be located there; and the gentlemen who made that request were the men who had talked about the iniquitous dairy regulations paralysing and crippling the industry, and thereby alarming the farmers, etc. Why they, I and those associated with them, before last election actually employed dummy 'men professing to be Government oll'icers to go round the country describing false regulations to the farmers; and yet on tiic floor of this House: Mr" Hine asked if any honourable member was allowed to use those words in the House—that the Taranaki members used dummy men to go round the district? The Hon. Mr. Mackenzie: I also said,

"and those associated with thc-m.' i Mr. Speaker: 1 do not think the honourable gentleman is out of order. The Hon. Mr. Mackenzie went on to say it was true that they did so, and they went round and won elections, no doubt, by the aid of these misrepresentations. Referring again to • the question of the appointment of dairy-grader at Home he (Hon. Mr. T. Mackenzie) saia it was no doubt essential that a thor- j oughly qualified man should be on the spot, but had they not now representa-1 fives there? Hliey had Mr. H. 0. Cameron and Mr. Crabbe, who both possessed knowledge of produce. They had to remember that they were charged with gross extravagance by members of the Opposition when they sent representatives last year to the High Commissioner's Office. The suggestion was that a grader be appointed to London to act a* arbitrator between the buyer and seller in the event of a dispute arising. Well, until the National Dairy Assoeia- | tioa or the New Zealand dairymen embodied in the conditions of sale, and until these conditions were accepted by ! buyers, and the New Zealand grader's i decision in the event of an appeal were 1 final, the mere appointment of a New Zealand grader to London would have no value whatever in that particular respect. When, however, such conditions of sale were included in contracts, if

I the reports from Home regarding unjust claims were revived, he (.lion. ..... J. i . .acKeuzii:,/ would vcriamly go nuo the matter <a appointing a grader at once. It was a regrettable fact that owing to . ti..! loweiii.g o: L.K- quality oi some I dairy produce shipped from New ZeaI lanu :'. uttle over twelve months ago the Home buyers had seized upon that 1 fact as a justification for insisting upon I buying not as formerly on a New Zealand grade-certificate, but subject to a Home arbitration clause. This was a deplorable provision, because under it very grave abuses might arise in connection with our produce, with the result I that the produce would suffer. He was ! well acquainted with the scandals that arose under such, a provision by reason of false claims on New Zealand produce when he was acting for our farmers in London, and the dairy people here should take every precaution to avoid a recurrence of what one of the largest exporting uiia-j companies allowed a year ago to occur. T'liat company, lie was i glad to say, took the matter thoroughly in hand and corrected the quality ol their output. It was as well to spean quite plainly on these important points. Good only could result from so doing. The next step was for the dairy people here to act unitedly and to agree posiI tively not to sell any butter or cheese I subject to a Home arbitration clause, and to insist that the New Zealand grade certificate was to be final. An Hon. member: What about pigs J

The Hon. Mr. Mackenzie: In some parts of Taranaki they had pigs that were diseased and which urgently required being attended to. He coulo. easily prophecy in connection with Taranaki's output "that they would presently see such an improved condition as regards the health of the pigs there that it would astonish the people, because, in addition to erecting pasteurising plants, for sterilising skim-milk and whey, there were two of the most important bacon factories in Taranaki at the present time about to come under regulations. They were about to adopt such methods as would improve the health of the animals and consequently the value of their output. The development of this industry would mean to great deal to Taranaki.