The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16. NIPPED IN THE BUD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 135, 16 September 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16. NIPPED IN THE BUD.

In a recent issue we referred to the proposal made by Mr. Macfarlane and Mr. Earkness, of the National Dairy Association (and supported by some of the Taranaki members of the- House) to appoint a Home grader in connection with the dairy produce, with power to arbitrate in cases of dispute. We pointed out that the proposal, though looking reasonable pn the surface, needed careful watching, being calculated, in our view, to seriously affect the present system, which yields, on the whole, satisfactory results, and has taken so many years to establish. The matter came up for discussion in the House the other day, and we were pleased to see the Minister put his foot down firmly on the proposal. Mr. Mackenzie said the claims put forth by the Taranaki members in support of the proposal were "something beyond comprehension," and we are inclined to agree with him. "They wanted," said the Minister, "a grader' sent Home who would absolutely have no status whatever, and yet the grader was to arbitrate ih cases of dispute." As he said, unless the condition was inserted in the terms of sale, and unless buyers had agreed to buy subject to the Government grader's decisions being final, there would be no use in calling him in. Therefore the conditions of 'sale would have to be agreed to prior to the appointment of the g.rader. To ask that a man be appointed who had no status would not meet the case. It would, as the Minister said, be a sheer waste of public money so far as determining differences between buyer and seller was concerned. There is no necessity regrading at the Home end. Unde'f present conditions, as we pointed out before, dairy companies effect sales of their produce conditionally on the basis of the grader's certificate as lo weight and quality 'being accepted as final. It is a moral certainty faciei s are not going to agree to the insertion of a condition in their contracts of the nature desired by Messrs. Harkness and Macfarlane, when they, can' satisfactorily dispose of their outputs without the clause. The demand for the insertion of the clause was caused by the pressure brought to bear upon the National Dairy Association by Home buyers because the quality of parts of a shipment or two was not up to the usual standard. It is unlikely, however, in view of the prompt action taken by the Government when it came cognisant of the matter, that such a thing will happen again to any appreciable extent. Even if it did, is it reasonable, that all the factories should suffer—and they would suffer if the proviso were inserted in contracts—because of the carelessness or inefficiency of one factory? Hear what Mr. McKenzie said: "This (the arbitration clause) was a deplorable provision, 'because under it very grave abuses might arise in connection with our produce, with the result that the produce, would suffer. He was well acquainted 'with the' scandals that arose under suet a provision 1 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 dairy companies allowed a year ago to occur. That company, he was glad to say, took the matter thoroughly in hand a,nd corrected the quality of their output. It was as well to speak 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 positively not to sell any butter or cheese subject, to a Home arbitration clause, and to insist that the New Zealand grade certificate was to be final." It, will be seen that Mr. Mackenzie, in resisting the demands of the National Dairy Association and some of the Taranaki M's.P.. who ought to have known better, has protected the. interests of the great dairying industry and thereby earned' the gra'titude of all therein engaged. This is but another instance of the Hon. T. Mackenzie's fitness for the high position he fills, and will serve to increase the confidence dairymen throughout the country repose in him.