OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 December 1943, Page 2

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

EKETAHUNA DAIRY FACTORY (To the Editor.) Sir,—After reading your full and unbiased report of the comments and resolution passed at the meeting held at Eketahuna on December 22, in protest against closing their factory, I feel it is only right for me, as one who has been in this nasty business from the • start and has not a biased feeling about it to say a word. I want to keep party politics out of it altogether, but I must say Mr Olsen let his feelings run astray when he blamed the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the closing down of the factory. They certainly had the final say, but I will explain the Prime Minister’s attitude towards the whole matter. After several deputations from both sides, and then one combined meeting, the Prime Minister suggested getting two impartial men of the dairying industry. This was agreed to. ... I think the Prime Minister is free from blame in this case. Mr J. Robertson, although he put up a great fight to retain the factory, almost implied, that, if he had been reelected the factory would have been saved. I definitely say it would not have been. The Dairy Division and some members of the Dairy Board were after the Eketahuna Dairy Company’s blood. The Featherston Dairy Company was to have more tonnage of butter, but how to do it? —ah. Eketahuna must go, and the very company that was used to do it, the Mauriceville Dairy Company, has been held tight by a short hair as far as tonnage is concerned.

It is of no use dairy farmers reading my letter, or the other fellows’ and. saying: “That’s great stuff” if they don't wake up and come in and put their shoulders to the wheel. They will never get the right sort of Dairy Board unless they get the right sort of directorate. So I plead with dairy farmers, as one who has gone through some very tough times in the past 24 years, to get together, get their houses in order, so that we can win the victory for the boys, who are likely to . come home and take up dairy farming, while they are overseas winning the victory for us. In a telegram, Mr Mackley stated that the closing was not free from political considerations. Well he ought to know about that, as he was shrewd enough not to make a promise either way before the election. I have a shrewd idea that he guessed what I knew—that the head was being played against the tail. Mr A. H. Herbert struck the right note as regards the people’s freedom, but accused the wrong people of filching it. I know how he must feel as regards losing the liberty, and freedom of the people, as he is an old soldier. Find out how many soldiers are in the top places of the factory directorates of the Wairarapa. Then you will see why the Eketahuna Dairy Company got such a rough deal. —I am, etc., W. F. ROGERS. To Whiti, December 28.