The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News The Echo and The Sun. MONDAY, JULY 25, 1932. GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 174, 25 July 1932, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News The Echo and The Sun.

MONDAY, JULY 25, 1932. GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that ntcds resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

Theory is set aside, and the real business of. the Ottawa Conference has begun. The opening speeches were brief, but to the point, and the cases of the Dominions have been stated in a way that everyone can understand. First of all, there was the declaration of Mr. Bennett, the Canadian Prime Minister, that Canada is ready to make liberal concessions to help Britain's trade, and in return seeks extra preferences; then there was Mr. Coates' definite advocacy of the quota system to assist New Zealand's exports, combined with an offer of further preferential advantages to Britain; thirdly, Mr. Bruce asked for assistance for the Australian meat industry, and offered to reduce tho tariff in favour of a large range of British commodities; and, fourthly, Mr. Havenga surprised the Conference by the announcement that South Africa wanted to enter the chilled beef industry in competition with the Argentine. The next step will be the consideration in detail of the views outlined by the leaders of the Dominion delegations, and meanwhile Britain is silent. It will be necessary for her to consider the demands in relation to the concessions she is offered before her views can be stated.

Much interest attaches to the future of the meat export trade, in which New Zealand, Australia and South Africa arc all anxious to improve their positions; and Britain will have a difficult problem in balancing their claims against those of the Argentine, where much British capital has been invested. At present the Argentine chilled beef trade with Britain is well established, and the export value of the meat industry to the Argentine in 1930 was over £37,000,000. Africa's meat exports for the same year were valued at only £377,110; for Australia the amount was £5,719,125; and for New Zealand £10,937,382. Mr. Havenga admits that South Africa has not made any attempt hitherto to develop her meat export, but says she is now compelled by the instability of the market for other products to consider changes in her farming system. He is, therefore, asking for concessions to shelter an industry which is at present of merely minor importance and has an extremely problematical future. In contrast with this complete disregard of plain facts, it is pleasing to turn to New Zealand's position. This Dominion has built up its meat export trade over a long period of years, and her climatic conditions are ideal for its future development. The pastures of New Zealand, due to the abundant rainfall, give this Dominion advantages from a pastoral viewpoint which are not possessed by any other part of the Empire. Mr. Coates has submitted a proposal that Britain should assist New Zealand farmers by restricting foreign imports, and he contends that there is a great danger to tho overseas countries if foreign goods are to be allowed to flood the British market. Preferences, though valuable, are insufficient, he says, to meet the present abnormal conditions, and he appeals for a quota as a temporary expedient. This request comes on the heels of Mr. Stanley Baldwin's speech condemning quota systems and exchange restrictions as barriers to Britain's trade, and it will be interesting to learn what Mr. Baldwin and his colleagues think of it. There is a dislike of quotas at Home, and Mr. Coates, mindful of this, took the only course open to him in offering to give similar advantages to British goods in New Zealand markets. He rightly added that this Dominion has done much in the past ten years to assist the manufactures of Britain, and that still more could be done. To take the year 1928-29 as typical of the post-war period, New Zealand's purchases per capita of British products were over £14 11/, the highest in the world. Australia was next with £8 10/. The amount for Argentina was £2 12/10> and for Canada £3 10/. New Zealand has, indeed, been a valuable customer to Britain, and has been a consistently steady buyer of her goods. Imports have for the time fallen off, and the figures given have been greatly reduced, but there remains a sentimental preference for British goods, and the trade languishes only because the buying power is lacking. The work of tho Ottawa Conference is expected to pave the way for recovery, and the difficulties brought into relief by the opening speeches should be a spur to greater effort to reach an agreement.