REPLY TO CRITICISM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 55, 6 March 1935, Page 7

REPLY TO CRITICISM.

LdRD NUFFIELD ON TEADE. (Received 12.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, this day. Lord Xuffleld's criticism of Australia's policy in respect to reciprocnl trade with Britain lias provoked a lengthy reply from the New South Wales Chamber of Manufacturers, in the course of which it states: "Australia can never truthfully be accused of failing to buy everything she could afford to pay for from outside countries, and especially from Britain.

''In the aggregate we have actually slipped behind to the extent of £(i 00,000,000 as external debt—most of it representing trade done with British exporters—and this monumental obligation must be honoured by us and future generations of Australians. Our reciprocity has always gone much further than anything Britain could formerly do for us in terms of preferential duties, and Australia has consistently and readily maintained this margin of preference to Britain even in the face of enormous pressure from friendly foreign interests who have offered inducements of various kinds to be allowed to trade with the Commonwealth on the same basis as their British competitors." BRITISH GLASS. LOW AUSTRALIAN QUOTA. (Received 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 5. Mr. (i. Lambert (Nat. L., Devon) asked Mr. J. H. Thomas, Dominions Secretary, whether, seeing the British exports of window-glass to Australia were fixed on a much lower quota than Belgian, he would take advantage of that as a ground for limitation of Australian imports of meat to Britain. Mr. Thomas, replying, said that all relevant considerations would be taken into account in negotiations with Australia, of which British agriculturists would be informed. Negotiations would begin when the Dominion Prime Ministers arrived.