TRADE TREATY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10828, 29 March 1932, Page 3

TRADE TREATY.

CANADA AND NEW ZEALAND. Toronto, March 27. A despatch from Ottawa to the Toronto Globe states that Canada’s new trade agreement with New Zealand will be announced this week, probably as part of the Budget speech by the Minister of Finance, Mr E. N. Rhodes, op Thursday. The report that a snag has been struck in regard to butter is officially denied. The rate of the duty on New Zealand butter entering Canada will be 5 cents a lb., the same as on Australian butter.. This rate is considered to be ample for the Canadian producers, especially as Canada is now on an export basis.

The duty on Australian butter entering Canada has been 5 cents a lb., since those two Dominions made a new trade treaty in July, 1930. At the same time a British preferential duty of 8 cents a lb. was fixed, in which New Zealand shared, and still shares. A trade agreement between New Zealand and Canada was arranged at a conference at Honolulu which terminated early last January between Mr W. Downie Stewart, New Zealand Minister of Customs, and Mr H. H. Stevens, Canadian Miu-ister-of Trade and Commerce. This was subject to ratification by the Parliaments of both countries. Since then there has been delay in connection with the matter and representations have been made to Mr Stewart' on the subject. Early this month he intimated that although he had been ready to submit the agreement to Parliament ever since the session opened over two weeks earlier some delay had occurred at the Canadian end owing to pressing political problems taking precedence.