THE DAIRY POOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1922, Page 6

THE DAIRY POOL.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Really the pool scheme promoters should have better memories or not imagine that the public need not accept them or their statements at their —the promoters’ —own valuation. The following is another example of the value of their assertions on which they endeavor to get, and claim to have got, support to their scheme. Mr. Morton, when placing the scheme before the meeting at Hawera, said: vide Daily News report of April 26: —“He again stressed the necessity of having the whole of the dairy producers in the pool. The Prime Minister had expressed his sympathy with the proposal, and given his assurance that if a substantial majority of the farmers favored the pool there would be no difficulty in getting the necessary legislation into operation for the next season.” And Mr. Brash in the same report says: “The Government was prepared, if the producers showed that they wanted it, to give the board powers to carry it through to success. He believed the Government would also be prepared to financially guarantee the scheme.” We heard the same statements at New Plymouth. The statements clearly conveyed to those who attended the meetings that the Government had been interviewed, had the scheme of the compulsory pool laid before them, and had given assurances that, if the promoters’ scheme received substantial backing, the Government would assist legislation necessary for forming a compulsory pool, and possibly would back the pool’s finance. But a change has come over the scene, and the new version is something very different. How different is to be seen on reading the following report, which appeared in the Dominion of the 19th inst.: — “MR. MASSEY’S ATTITUDE.” “Referring to a reported interview ,-with the Prime Minister, the chairman said (and by the way the chairman referred to is Mr. Morton, the samq Mr. Morton who made the statement first quoted at Hawera and at New Plymouth, and probably elsewhere): —“That in his (Opinion Mr. Massey, in expressing his sympathy with the proposals put before him, did not mean dairymen to assume that he specifically approved the formation of a company. It was more probable Mr. Massey meant that he approved an endeavor on the part of the producers to establish some control over the marketing of their prduce —perhaps on the lines of the meat pool. ‘We did not go into details with the Prime Minister,’ said Mr. Morton.” Well! well! I remarked before, and I must do so again, that these promoters have the worst of bad luck. Their “reasons” in support of the pool seem to vanish one after another, and those they have claimed as friends seem to be affected in the same way. I wonder will the Fates leave them a single shred of ?—I am, etc., E. MAXWELL. Opunakq, 29/5/22.