On the main question, I am not opposing the passing of the Bill at this stage but various matters have arisen during the discussion which, I think, it would be as well that I should touch upon now. This Bill interferes with trade to a rather considerable extent and I cannot divorce from my mind the feeling that the Department presided over by the Minister is indirectly interested fairly largely in the dairy trade itself, has been for some years past, and I feel, must, of necessity, for a considerable time to come be interested in the Board which took over a large section of the creameries owned by the National Condensed Milk Company. I look with considerable misgiving on Government trading. The Government is now interested in the Electricity Supply Board, as I think very usefully, but nevertheless traders are beginning to feel that the Government is encroaching in a manner in which competition may not—I am not saying that it is—at times be very fair. I am compelled to furnish returns to a Government Department which is in itself a measure of competition. I do not think it is quite fair. I admit that it is necessary under this Bill but it is one of the things traders would avoid as far as they can.
As I pointed out on the Second Reading, I appeal to the Minister, to the officials of his Department, and to the Advisory Committee which will be engaged in the administration of this Bill when it is an Act to be very careful when dealing with the section restricting exports. I stated that great harm had been done to individuals when that power was exercised before under an enactment which has lapsed. I can see great danger under this Bill unless the powers are used with great circumspection and great care. This Bill gives the Minister power to confer favours on creameries. Speaking as one who has a very considerable experience of the trade in a number of markets in other countries, I believe that central selling, as adopted previously in this country, will inevitably fail with tragic losses to the producer. I refer to the failure and the breakdown of the scheme of the ex-Minister for Agriculture who set up a Board presided over by Mr. Dulanty and which issued a report. I know that the ex-Minister for Agriculture made a very earnest and a genuine attempt to get that report implemented, but unfortunately dissension amongst the creamery managers nullified his efforts. I trust that those efforts will be renewed, as it is the only possible way—I differentiate regulated selling from combined selling—that can with advantage be had in this matter. In connection with that, perhaps it would be advisable, if not necessary, that a small Advisory Committee should act. I think the Advisory Committee which the Minister will call together for the administration of the Act would be a very suitable body for the administration of the scheme founded on the report cf Mr. Dulanty.
In a debate here previously the idea was clearly in the minds of some Senators, and I feel compelled to say that I think it is in the minds of a considerable number of officials in the Department of Agriculture, that people should be forced into co-operation. While co-operation was probably necessary, because there was not sufficient private enterprise to cover suitable districts with creameries—and in that regard I know what the late Sir Horace Plunkett and his movement did—I have no doubt whatever that if creameries had been run by proprietary interests it would have been very much better for the dairying industry. Indeed, if any member of this House, or any member of the Department of Agriculture wants confirmation of what I say, I will give him districts where if the Minister would assent to the creamery being allowed to be returned or re-purchased by the old owner, you would have a torch light procession. I am not blaming co-opprative committees, nor do I blame the managers of co-operative creameries. By reason of the experience, or, perhaps, the restriction of experience, of members of the committees, co-operative managers cannot indulge in the amount of enterprise that the proprietary interest can. I will outline a few of the principal proprietary interests which were connected with creameries in this country. The Condensed Milk Company of Limerick, in addition to making butter, made condensed milk and toffee and milk chocolate. The company I was formerly concerned with —the Newmarket Dairy Company, which was the third largest milk organisation in the world, Nestlé's of Limerick being second—made cheese in addition to butter. It had a good reputation for a certain class of cheese long before the war and in addition made butter. Co-operative activity is too single-barrelled in a dairy, and, unfortunately, it is further restricted by an Act passed here. I am not saying these things as an attack on co-operation because I am not interested, directly or indirectly, in co-operation or private dairying now, but it is not in the interests of the dairying industry to force people into co-operation or to restrict private enterprise where it is available.
