B—l [Pt. ll]

Account, but most of the charges it was to cover were met from War Expenses Account,, and Treasury now seeks an adjustment by a payment from the Meat Industry Account to War Expenses Account. The Audit Office was prepared to certify to the amount of receipts arising from the additional |d., but this was not acceptable to the industry, which desires to be satisfied that actual expenses have been incurred by the War ExpensesAccount equal at least to the amount of increased receipts. The amount involved i 5£652,154 £652,154 and it has not yet been paid over. Milk Marketing Division In last report reference was made to the fact that the Milk Marketing Account provided for by section 107 of the Milk Act, 1944, had not been opened. This position still obtains, and, in view of the present activities of the Division, it is desirable that attention should again be drawn to the matter. Expenditure during the year 1946-47 has been made by the Division as under:— (a) Out of vote, " Agriculture Salaries and administration expenses. Emergency milk-supplies in drought areas. Establishment of temporary milk-balancing station at Hamilton. Capital cost of purchase or erection of milk treating houses by the Division. Reimbursement of levies paid by milk-vendors to local Milk Authorities under Milk Act, section 74. (b) Out of vote, " Stabilization " : Subsidies to town milk producer organizations under the National Town Milk Scheme. Under this scheme the Minister fixes " farm-gate " prices paid to approved town milk producers, and also fixes margins allowed to producers and others for treating and delivering the milk to consumers. The consumer price is fixed by the Price Tribunal and frequently is not sufficient to cover the price of raw milk plus allowances. Consequently, a subsidy to meet the difference is necessary. (c) Out of Sundry Products Account, Marketing Department — Cost of milk purchased by the Division for treatment and bottling in its own milk treating houses and the expenses of operating the treating houses (exclusive of any Head Office administration). Recoveries from the sale of milk by the treating houses have been credited to this account. National Employment Service : Hostels and Workers' Camps Under the authority of section 5 (3) (a) of the Employment Act, 1945, the National Employment Service operates seven hostels and five workers' camps capable of accommodating upwards of seventeen hundred persons. Information about these institutions was provided in the Service's 1946 report (see paragraphs 350-361), and it is understood that details of new hostels and campp will be furnished in the one for

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