THE DAIRY DELEGATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1920, Page 8

THE DAIRY DELEGATION.

' RECENT TRIP TO EUROPE, THE C.W.S. SCHEME. Mr. FORSYTH REPLIES TO MR. CORRIGAN. Some of the remarks made by Mr. J. R. Corrigan, ohairniaii of the «Hawera •Dairy Com ; y, at the meeting called in Hawera to'discuss the C.W.S. marketing scheme, were brought? into prominence at the meeting of the Eltham Dairy Company on Saturday. Mr. Cocker said he would like some explanation on one or two points. Mr. Corrigan said that when it was ascertained at the last minute that the Eltham Dairy Company was sending its general manager away with the delegation to America, a resolution had been passed at a committee meeting, which he and Mr. Powdrell lmd supported, that the information gathered by the general manager should be made available to the Committee, and an undertaking had been given to that effect. Mr. Cocker wished to know why this information, if gathered at the expense of the Eltham suppliers, should be made available to the committee. Mr. Cocker also asked if Mr. Corrigan's reference to professional chairmen was intended to include their chairman.

Mr. Forsyth said that at the meeting which he had called in Hawera, Mr. Corrigan had condemned the scheme put forward by those responsible for its promotion, and had urged that the National Dairy Association should alter its con; stitution so as to undertake the marketing itself. That was the first mistake ho had made, as it was impossible to alter 'the constitution to permit them taking up the matter. Further, he had suggested that they should establish their own marketing floor in London, stating that it could be easily financed. As to finance, their own floor would require £1,500,000. Six years ago a.somewhat similar scheme was brought forward, save that the C.W.S. was not in it. If, he said, Mr. Corrigan was sincere in what he advocated at Hawera, why did lie not accept the next best thing? A nasty smack, he said, had been given him and Mr. Murdoch by the allegation that the delegation had returned from abroad, and he (Mr. Corrigan) did not know if they had found out much but in his opinion t!hey did not know much more from the delegation's report than they did before. Well, continued Mr. Forsyth, he and Mr. Murdoch might be clumsy in drafting a report, but, on the other hand, Mr. Corrigan might be clumsy in not being able to grasp it. ■ Regarding the reference to their manager having gone with the delegation, he said that he asked the committee if there was any objection to their general ' manager joining the delegation, :ui:l the reply he. received was that they were delighted to think that any dairy company had sufficient enterprise to pay the expenses of sending its manager to gain information that would be of benefit to the industry. Mr. Corrigan was not present at that meeting. The next he heard was a resolution passed at a meeting at which he was not present;, to the effect that it was not in the interest of the industry that Mr. Boyle should accompany the delegation without the information gained by him was N at the disposal of the committee. Mr. Boyle was associated with the delegation most of the time, and his expert knowledge was I of great value to them, and 110 doubt in this way a lot of the information Mr. Boyle gathered was of great use to the I committee. Other information gained was the property of the Kltham Dairy Company, which had given no undertaking that it should belong to the committee.

Referring to the matter of professional chairmen, Mr. Corrigan bad said tjiat he would not let the eat out of the hap at the present time. This cast a reflection on those prominent in the industry, and he invited Mr. Corrigan to make any statements he 'had to in the matter. A statement had been made that the speaker was joining in the scheme, and looking for a huge salary in London. Well, he kneiv London, and he knew the New Zealand dairy farmer. He knew the dairy fanner too well to know that he. would not pay him the salary lie would require to live in London, where he would he fogged half the time. So far as he was concerned, he did not get salt out of what he had done for the industry, and he claimed that he had done a lot for the industry in Taranaki, and he had always done his best. He might have maile mistake —few men had not—but. what he had done had l)een done cleanly-