DAIRY PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 April 1939, Page 8

DAIRY PRICES

CONFERENCE DECISION REPORT OF 1938 COMMITTEE ENDORSED. DESIRE TO CO-OPERATE IN REDUCING COSTS. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A committee sei up by the Dairy Conference yesterday to bring down one comprehensive report dealing with the guaranteed price presented it today. The poim wa ? inade by Mr Marshall, ill ap doing, that the icpoit gave expression to the dairymen s willingness to reciprocate in the aim of the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) to reduce costs in New Zealand and consequently set out that, as a practicable measure of co-operation with the Minister, the conference offer to forego ascertainable increases in costs and to accept the standards and prices recommended by the 1938 Advisory Committee for the 1939-40 season Mr Marshall pointed out that the conference could not turn a deaf ear to Mr Nash’s plea to bring about some stability, and it was recognised that in the end all costs would ultimately come back on to the farmer. Although! the committee recommended the 1939-40 price as above, the report nevertheless endorsed as correct the standards and Conclusions as recorded by the 1938 Guaranteed Price Investigation Committee and protested against the alteration of such standards and prices by the Minister of Marketing. It also set out that it was unable to agree to the Minister’s suggestion that the prices fixed by the Government for the current season should be continued for the 1939-40 season. That price, to do justice to the producer and to give effect to the provisions of the Primary Products Marketing Act. should be the price recommended by the 1938 Advisory Committee, plus ascertainable increases in costs. Mr Marshall stated that if the Government agreed to pay the price for the next season as recommended, it would be an increase of .71 d on the current season's price. The report also requested the Dairy Board, in collaboration with the representative committee, to continue negotiations with the Minister. The report was adopted unanimously and enthusiastically. There was very little discussion. The point was made that the dairy industry alone should not make a sacrifice to reduce costs, but would make a sacrifice if other sections of the community walked with it, step by slop. The suggestion was made that if the Government did not agree to the committee’s recommendation, the conference should reassemble, but this was regarded as a threat- to the Government by some delegates and the matter was left in the hands of the Dairy Board.