DAIRY PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 June 1938, Page 7

DAIRY PRICES

NATIONAL CONFERENCE REJECTS TRIBUNAL Advisory Committee Favoured GOVERNMENT ASKED TO RETAIN RESPONSIBILITY T (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, June 23. The proposal of the Government to appoint a tribunal comprising a Supreme Court judge and two assessors, one appointed by the Government and one appointed by the industry, to determine guaranteed prices for dairy produce was rejected by delegates at the National Da y ference at New Plymouth today. , , . . After a long discussion and 30 minutes’ adjournment of the debate to permit consultation between representatives of conflicting points of view, the conference gave its unanimous support to a report urging appom - ment of an advisory body to make recommendations to the Government as to prices, leaving with the latter the responsibility of fixing 1“m The conference asked that this advisory body consist of three members appointed by the industry, three appointed by the Crown, and a Judge o the Supreme Court appointed after consultation with the other six members.

The discussion took place on the following remit from the Kaitaia Cooperative Dairy Company: That this conference is of opinion that during the operation of the guaranteed price scheme the price should be determined for each season by a tribunal consisting of equal numbers of assessors appointed by the Dairy Board and the Government and presided over by a Supreme Court judge. Mr A. J. Sinclair (Te Awamutu) then moved the following amendment: That this conference disapproves of the tribunal method of assessing the guaranteed price, but agrees to the appointment of a committee of three representatives to confer with three representatives of the Government with the object of submitting a report within one month containing recommendations relating to a fair and equitable price for dairy produce for the 12 months commencing August, 1938. After an extended discussion, in which opinion was shown to be sharply divided for and against a tribunal, an adjournment of half an hour was taken to allow a committee representing supporters of the remit and the amendments to confer with a view to submitting a resolution that would meet with the unanimous approval of the conference. Messrs Bird, Marshall, Begley; Cullen, Sinclair and J. G. -Brechin; were appointed to confer for this-purpose. Other remits on the agenda paper were proceeded with in the meantime, and at the conclusion of . the committee’s deliberations, the following report was submitted on its behalf by Mr Marshall, in place of the remit and amendments previously discussed: — COMMITTEE’S REPORT “That, during the operation of the guaranteed price scheme, and before II —

the price or prices to be paid in respect of dairy produce are fixed under Section 20 of the Primary Products Marketing Act, 1936, the following procedure should be followed: That the advisory body be set up constituted as follows: (a) Three members appointed by the dairy industry; (b) three members to be appointed by the Crown; (c) the chairman, being a judge of the Supreme Court, to be appointed by the Crown after consultation with the other members of the body. “That the three members representing the dairy industry to be appointed by a committee consisting of the president and two members elected by the National Dairy Conference, two members appointed by the South Island Dairy Association, and members of the Dairy Board. That the advisory body, after taking such relevant evidence in open session as may be laid before it by and on behalf of the Crown or dairy industry, and after taking into account the considerations set out in Statute, including also (1) the necessity of enabling the producer to pay competitive rates of wages; (2) provision for a reasonable interest on capital invested in the producer’s farm and stock; (3) provision to meet any increased costs, including those resulting from legislation and including tariffs; (4) provision allowing the producer a remuneration commensurate with the services he renders to the community, and with that obtained by other sections of the community rendering equal service, recommend to the Government the price or prices which it thinks fair and reasonable.” This report was adopted unanimously. " The conference also carried a xremit approving a suggestion that the Dairy Board be authorised out of its levy to expend money in the collection of data, and in the preparation and presentation of the industry’s case to any price-fixing committee or tribunal or to the industry’s assessors.