WILL RETALIATE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 25, 30 January 1934, Page 7

WILL RETALIATE.

FRANCE WARNED.

Unfair Quotas Against Britain

Must Be Removed

CURT NOTICE GIVEN.

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received 1.30 p.m.)

RUGBY, January 29. In the House of Commons, in a statement regarding the French quota restrictions, Mr. "Walter Runciman, President of the Board of Trade, announced that the French Government had been informed that the British Government would not accept discrimination in favour of American and Belgian goods.

France had also been told that, having regard to the grave interference with United Kingdom trade .resulting from its new quota policy and the discriminations referred to, the British Government would very reluctantly take immediate retaliatory action by imposing additional duties on a range of French products unless within 10 days of that intimation the quotas in force before January 1 were restored to their original level and the new quotas imposed as from January 1 were similarly increased. Full power to impose such duties existed under the Import Duties Act.

The attention of the French Government had also been drawn to the grave impediment to United Kingdom trade resulting from the methods adopted for the fixing and administration of the quotas. He had informed the French Government that the British Government proposed to return to that matter at a later stage when satisfaction in

regard to the quantum of quotas had been obtained.

A message from Talis states that British official circles refuse to comment on the French newspapers' declaration that the British Note demands full restoration of the quotas otherwise Britain will institute reprisals and denounce the trade treaty.