AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18916, 3 February 1927, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING.

COMPETITION- OF N.Z. PROTECTION ASKED FOB. fit CASLV—Pftlflt AMOCUTIM—COPTIIOIT.) I.AVSTKALIAN AND h'.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received February 3rd, 12.40 a.m.) SYDNEY, February 'J. A deputation asking for consideration by the Tariff Board of proposals for a duty on imported butter and cheese waited 011 .Mr Pratten, Federal Minister for Customs, to-day. Tlio resolution passed on December 16th was placed beforo the Minister. Mr Hate, a member of the Legislative Assembly, said clieca manufacturers h.ad just formed a co-operative company for the manufacture of process cheese, but during the past few months importations had increased almost 300 pei cent. Dairymen objected to receiving London parity for their products because London parity was governed by the production of countries with a low standard of living. Mr Grant, chairman of the Primary Producers' Union, said the matter of increased protection was one of life or death to the dairying industry. They hud not been making anything like a biisio wage for venrs. If ••ctrn'inn supplies were short, then butter could pome from New Zealand, but what they objected to was meeting the London parity through New Zealand. At present the dairy-farmer was getting Is I}<l a pound for butter, and a tariff of litl would allow him a relu. n of Is 7Jd which had been officially arrived at. as the cost of production This was some timo ago, however, and it had since been ascertained that the cost of production was now not under Is lid. Mr Pratten, in reply, said v;hnt was really wanted was protection from New Zealand. However, a preferential treaty between Australia and New Zealand had been in existence for six years. He would rather see friendly I negotiations than a hostile tariff. Mr Pratten promised to bring the matter beforo tho Tariff Enquiry Board, but pointed out that before any alteration in the treaty with New Zealand could bo brought about, six months' notice would have to be given and Parliamentary sanction received. [At tho quarterly meeting of the cxccutivo of tho Primary Producers' Union a motion was carried expressing tho opinion that it was imperative that the duty on New Zealand butter should be increased to Cd per lb, and Gil on cheese, with a corresponding increaso in tho genornl tariff, and, further, that under thj general tariff the duty be increased at least to (Id on process cheese. It was also resolved that in tho event of the Federal Government not acceding to the impost of a duty of Cd :i pound on New Zealand butter, tho Union circularise nil kindred Associations in other States, impressing upon them tho necessity for making this a leading question to candidates at tho next Federal elections.]