TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 213, 8 September 1944, Page 3

TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

BRITAIN AND DOMINION REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, this day. A request that the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, place before the House at the earlier possible moment a full statement of discussions and relevant documents, relating to the trade agreement with the United Kingdom was made by Mr. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) in an urgent question in the House of Representatives yesterday. He asked that the statement give information on the following points: (a) Negotiations between the New Zealand Government and the British Government with reference to lump sum and other payments on account of terms of trade and increased prices for primary and other produce; (b) negotiations between the New Zealand Government and the New Zealand Dairy Board and other bodies representing primary and other industries concerned in the trade agreement. Mr Broadfoot also requested an undertaking that he would make public the terms of the agreement as it affected the meat industry and give the House an early opportunity of a full discussion of the statement. Mr. Fraser said that as much information on the trade negotiations as by arrangement with the United Kingdom Government was available for publication at that stage had already been given to the House and the dairy and meat industries. As would be appreciated, the arrangements with New Zealand had a bearing on the United Kingdom negotiations with other countries for the supply of similar products, and in the meantime no further information could be published. Pursuant to the stabilisation agreement with the Farmers' Federation, the Dairy Board and the Meat Board had set up a joint committee to discuss with the Stabilisation Commission what subsidies on other items should be debited against the respective industry stabilsation accounts to which would be credited the increases in payments for butter, cheese and meat by the British Ministry oi Food. "Concerning the increases in prices for meat," said Mr. Fraser, "the position has been fully explained to the Meat Board. The same publicity will be given to the facts of the meat prices. At present I have no further information.