WICKED PACT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 98, 28 April 1933, Page 7

WICKED PACT.

EMPIRE BETRAYED. BEAVERBROOK ANGRY. British Trade Agreements With Foreigners. DIVERGENT OPINIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, April 27. Lord Beaverbrook states that the Danish trade agreement with Britain is wicked. "The supporters of the Empire policy," he says, "put the Government into power, and we have been betrayed and sold to foreigners." The agreement, however, is well received by tho Copenhagen Press, and tho English newspapers also consider it a good bargain. "Tho Times" regards the pact as a good omen and should coincide closely with the renewal of efforts to expedite the world conference. It says the safe and only practical method of advance is for each country to survey its resources and needs to determine what it must produce for itself and what , import from others, and to follow with agreements for complementary exchanges. Far from being an obstacle to the success of tho conference the agreement may well serve as a model. Agreement With Germany. The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Walter Runciman, announced in the House of Commons that agreement on all points of principle had been reached with Argentina, and a treaty was being drafted which he expected would be signed in a few days. A White Paper to-night gives the terms of the Anglo-German commercial relations agreement, on which the House of Commons will vote on Monday. The United Kingdom undertakes that the German articles in the schedule attached will not bo subjected to duties higher than those specified, in return for which Britain will secure, firstly, licenses to be issued for the importation of not less than ISO.OOO tons of British coal monthly; secondly, if the total coal, coal briquettes and 'coke consumption of Germany exceeds by I per cent, 7,500,000 tons in any month, licenses shall be issued in tho following month for importation from Britain of an equivalent percentage over 180,000 tons. Tho schedule of German goods and maximum duties specified contains toys, 15 per cent; certain musical instruments, including pianos, 20 per cent; cheap clocks, 25 per cent; varieties of cheap jewellery, 25 per cent; domestic hollow ware, 20 per cent; and safety razor blades, 20 per cent, plus 1/ per gross.