THE DAIRY POOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1922, Page 5

THE DAIRY POOL.

FEATURES OF THE BILL. CONSTITUTION OF BOARD. WIDE POVViERS GIVEN. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The Dairy Produce Export Control Bill, which was briefly summarised in an earlier message, is modelled upon the provisions of the Meat Export Control Act. It proposes the establishment of a dairy produce control board, which will exercise in respect of butter and cheese the powers tiiat are exercised by the Meat Producers’ Board in regard to meat. The board will consist of two Government nominees appointed on the recommendation of the Minister for Agriculture and nine producers’ representatives, to be elected by the persons supplying milk and cream to factories manufacturing butter and cheese for export. The method of election of the producers’ representatives—six- from the North Island and three from the South Island—is to be prescribed by regulation. The producers’ representatives on the board are to hold office for three years, but there is a special provision for the retirement of three of the original members in June, 1924, 1925 and 1926. The board may appoint such officers as it requires for the efficient discharge of its duties. A London agency of the board is to be constituted. This agency will consist- of such number of persons as the board may decide, and one of the members shall be a nominee of the Government. The duty of the London agency will be to keep the board advised as to the current prices of dairy produce and as to other matters relative to the disposal of New Zealand dairy produce in Britain or elsewhere. It will act generally as the agent of the board. CONTROL OF PRODUCE. The Government may enable the board to control effectively the export, sale and distribution of New Zealand dairy produce by prohibiting the export of any dairy produce from the Dominion, save in accordance with a license issued by the board, or a license issued by the Minister for Agriculture, subject to conditions and restrictions approved by the board. The board may assume control over the export of dairy produce from New Zealand, and the control may be absolute or limited. All the dairy product over which thn board has assumed absolute control shall be shipped as the board directs, and shall he sold and disposed of only by the board or by direction of the board Where the board has assumed limited control the extent of its control shall be defined by notice or by agreement between the board and the owners of the produce. The Bill provides protection for existing contracts up to June 39. 1923. after the constitution of the board, or after such date as the board may fix. No contract for the carriage by «sea of dairy produce from New Zealand shall be made save by the board, or under conditions approved by the board. There'is a proviso that if the Meat Board decides not to make any shipping contract save by arrangement with the Dairy Board, the latter board shall not have authority to make any contract except in accordance with an arrangement between the two boards. PROVISION FOR LEVY. The board may make a levy on dairy produce exported from New Zealand, whether the produce is subject to the control of the board or not. The money will be collected by the Customs Department, and will form part of the funds of the board. The board is to have full authority to make such arrangements and give such directions as it thinks proper for the handling, pooling and storage of dairy produce; for the shipment of dairy produce on such terms and in such quantities as it thinks fit; for the sale and disposal of dairy produce; for insurance during storage and transit, and generally for all matters that are necessary for the due discharge of its functions in handling, distributing and disposing of New Zealand dairy produce. The board may give security over dairy produce on behalf of the owners for the purpose of securing any advance that may be made to the hoard, or to the owners of the dairy produce. The remaining clauses of the Bill give the board power to handle the moneys received from the sale of produce or otherwise. They provide for the payment of expenses, the repayment of advances, the creation of a reserve fund, and the payment of the balance to the owners of the produce in proportions to be fixed in accordance with quantity and grade. The Government may make regulations prescribing the maximum amount of the levy and enabling the board to carry out its functions. SECOND READING OF BILL. Wellington, Oct. 5. After the telegraph office closed, leave was given in the House to the Minister of Agriculture to set up a special committee to consider the Dairy Export Bill as already nominated by him, with the exception that Mr. McCombs was substituted for Mr. Holland and Mr. Dickson (Chalmers) for Mr. E. Newman. The Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the committee. The committee will now consist of the Hon. W. Nosworthy (Minister of Agriculture) and Messrs. O. J. Hawken (Egmont), V. H. Reed (Bay of Islands), F. F. Hockly (Rotorua), H. Poland (Ohinemuri). R. Masters (Stratford), A. D. McLeod (Wai-' rarapa), J. McCombs (Lyttelton), J. McC. Dickson (Chalmers), and A. Hamilton (Wallace).

TARANAKI PRODUCERS. MEETING TO BE HELD TO-DAY. VIEWS OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE. PLEA FOR AN OPEN MIND. To explain the provisions of the Bill to Taranaki producers, Mr. W. Grounds, chairman of the committee which drew up the scheme, has come to New Plymouth, and this morning he will address a meeting of dairy company representatives and producers. “As far as I am personally concerned. I will be satisfied with nothing less than a complete knowledge of the possibilities of the world’s dairy produce markets,” said Mr. Grounds, in the course of conversation with a Daily News reporter last night. “The satisfactory handling of the business necessitates haying a full knowledge of the

position everywhere, not only as to existing markets, but as to fresh ones, ’ he added. ' When asked as to the means to be adopted to obtain a full and reliable intelligence system, Mr. Grounds said there were many points to consider, which would require very careful consideration, and al the present time he had an open mind on the subject. This led him to make some interesting observations on the matter of keeping an open mind. He was quite sure that a good many ot the objections had been made through misconceptions of the actual position, and he appealed to all those concerned under the scheme to investigate it thoroughly in a broad manner. “Some of us,” he said, “concentrate at times on a small matter to such an extent that the bigger issues became obscured. I have made it a rule to always try to obtain all the facts, get them aU, and weigh each one, and then make a decision when it is called for.”

Mr. Grounds is quite sympathetic towards objections that are made, and said that he would be only too pleased to answer any that should be mentioned at the meeting to-day. “That’s where I like to iget them,” he said. “When you actually 1 hear the question you can see the angle from which the questioner speaks and get the full purport of his question, and you can reply so that there is no misunderstanding.” He made it clear that he intends to traverse not only the whole of the proposed control scheme, but any objections that are raised. “It is not a pool,” he corrected the reporter. “Hie old idea of a pool is definitely dead. We are out for a control board.”

Speaking of the committee which has been set up by the House to hear evidence on the scheme, Mr. Grounds said he welcomed it, and as far as the personnel was concerned he thought it quite good. “It represents both sides of the House and has some dairymen on it, so they should get good results,” he said. He mentioned that the committee would probably sit next week to hear evidence.

On being referred to the opposition of some of the interested business houses in the Old Country, Mr. Grounds chuckled.

“I notice in the cables some inspired news from some of the houses interested in the present system, that the promotion of the scheme is prejudicing the offers for butter,” he replied. “It is rather curious that they don’t draw attention to the fact that cheese is firming, distinctly firming.”