DECISION A GESTURE

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 162, 11 July 1934, Page 11

DECISION A GESTURE

TENTATIVE IN MEANTIME. FEARS OF QUOTA OR TAX. (By Telegraph.—Prosd Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Regulations prohibiting the export of frozen beef and frozen veal from New Zealand to the United Kingdom without the consent in writing of the Minister of Agriculture, acting upon the advice of the "New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, were issued this evening. The prohibition is effective as from Thursday, and applies to all frozen beef or frozen veal placed on board an exporting ship on or after that date. The regulations have been issued under authority conferred on the GovernorGeneral under section 47 of the Customs Act, 1913, on the ground that the prohibition is necessary in the public interest. Although no official explanation of the action was forthcoming to-night, it was learned authoritatively that the decision has been made as a gesture and that it may be regarded as tentative in the meantime. With fears of a quota being applied or of a tax being applied on meat entering the United Kingdom it has been felt wise to make this voluntary concession. "If you are exporting 100.0001b of goods worth 8d a pound and 100,0001b worth 2d a pound, it is far better to agree to a concession on the cheaper product," said an authority this evening. "That is the principle involved in this I move. It is the same as the Dairy j Board making a similar provision regarding whey butter." „ J ° ° * d? Meanwhile negotiations on the meat export question are still being exchanged between the Governments of Britain and New Zealand, and no official announcement is available regarding progress. With the announcement that shipments of frozen beef and veal to Great Britain will be permitted only on license, a virtual embargo has been placed on the export of all beef except chilled. The New Zealand Meat Producers' Board announced on Monday a ban on shipments of boneless beef and bobby calves. Shipments of frozen beef and boneless beef from the Dominion during the current season from October 1, 193:5, to June 15, 193-1, and in the whole of the previous two seasons, are compared in the following table: — r 1933-34 1032-38 1031-32 (SJ mthsO Frozen beef (q'rtr'.sl 3.V>,233 3W>7S 105,312 Boneless Seer tbags) 100,440 287,003 233,30 i In all seasons almost the entire supply has been placed on the British market. In addition to the shipments during the current season, stocks on hand at June 15 amounted to 12.",. 128 quarters of frozen beef and 185,470 freight carcases of boneless beef. As every endeavour has been made to ship beef before the end of June, it is reasonable to assume that these stocks have been largely liquidated. In any case, the increase in beef shipments over the previous season is considerable. It appears that the Dominion has succeeded in crowding a whole season's supply into the space of nine months, probably in anticipation of developments after June 30.