AGY-4962 | Dairy Products Board

Full description

The New South Wales Dairy Products Board was constituted under section 3 of the Dairy Products Act (No.17, 1933) which commenced on 12 January 1934.(1) Under section 16, the provisions of the Act were to cease in three years and the Board was to be dissolved. The Dairy Products Board consisted of one nominee of the Minister, two representatives of manufacturers of dairy products, two representatives of societies registered under the Co-operation Act 1923-32, and two representatives of the Primary Producers’ Union of New South Wales.(2) The Board was a body corporate and the following were appointed inaugural members: George Evatt, CM Grocott, CH Fraser, Major JR King, MP Dunlop (MLC), HJ Foley, and JL Shute. George Evatt was elected Chairman for the first twelve months.(3) The Board met on a monthly basis from its first meeting on 19 February 1934 and held special meetings when necessary. Board members held office for three years. The principal duties of the Board were to recommend to the Minister for Agriculture, on the basis of production and consumption in Australia, quotas for butter and cheese for the purpose of intrastate trade and to check the State production and consumption to ensure that these quotas were complied with.(4) Under the legislation, all butter and cheese factories were required to render monthly returns to the Board showing the quantity of butter and cheese manufactured each month and the method of disposal thereof. These returns are required to enable the Board to ascertain whether the quota provisions of the Act are complied with.(5) In 1936, the Dairy Products (Amendment) Act (No.47, 1936) removed the original Act’s temporary status (section 16), thereby placing it permanently on the Statute Books. The Dairy Products (Amendment) Act ended the term of office of members of the Dairy Product Board on 12 January 1937 and allowed for a new Board to be appointed.(6) The Board's primary function of maintaining stability in the butter and cheese section of the industry by application of intrastate quotas became superfluous when a new compulsory Commonwealth Dairy Industry Stabilisation Scheme for manufacturers of dairy products was introduced by the Commonwealth Government in July 1977. By August 1978 the Board had disposed of all its assets. With the expiry of the terms of the appointment of Board members on 12 January 1979 the only outstanding matter was the formal legislative abolition of the Board. This was done by the Dairy Products (Repeal) Act (No.21, 1979) which was assented to on 24 April 1979.(7) ENDNOTES
1. Annual Report of the New South Wales Dairy Products Board for 1937, p1, in State Records reference number 5/7649.1.
2. Dairy Products Act (No.17, 1933), section 3.
3. Minutes of meetings of the NSW Dairy Products Board, 19 February 1934, p1, in State Records reference number 5/7640.
4. Annual Report of the New South Wales Dairy Products Board for 1937, p2, in State Records reference number 5/7649.1.
5. Annual Report of the New South Wales Dairy Products Board for 1938, p2, in State Records reference number 5/7649.1.
6. Dairy Products (Amendment) Act (No.47, 1936), section 2(a)(iii).
7. Concise Guide to the State Archives of New South Wales (Courts of Requests – G) : Dairy Products Board, NSW Government Gazette No. 64, 11 May 1979, p.2276.