QUOTA ON DAIRY PRODUCE

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21026, 30 November 1933, Page 9

QUOTA ON DAIRY PRODUCE

MR BAXTER'S ADVOCACY "COMMON SENSE IN MARKETING" URGED (UNITED HIF.SS ASSOCIATION -HI ELECTRIC TEI.EU KAMI—COPYRIGHT.) (Received November 29, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 28. At a luncheon of the Empire Society, Mr Thomas Baxter described his discussions with dairy farmers in New Zealand. He thought the Dairy Produce Board looked upon the business more from the factory sids than from the farmer's side, and was interested chiefly in getting the largest number of tons through the factory. He admitted New Zealand's prosperity was dependent on her pastoral products and, therefore, her difficulty was a real one, but he | was quite sure that until some regu- i lation of dairy produce was adopted and the insane practice of throwing Dominion and foreign produce on the British market was stopped Ihere could be no rise in prices. Therefore, he hoped soon to have some co-operation between the Dominion farmers and the British. Incidentally, he mentioned " that last summer his wife was buying New Zealand butter delivered at. her home for 8d a pound, while he paid Is a pound for grease for nis motor-car and fetched it himself. This was because some common sense was usod in the marketing ot grease. Dominion's Reply. The London office of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, in reply to Mr Baxter, said the chief object of the Ottawa agreement, was 10 stimulate Empire trade. Restriction of Empire exports was a direct negation of this, and Great Britain was entitled to increase her exports of manufactures to New Zealand, but it was essentia] the Dominion -.> purchasing power be maintained or increased. The board did not think the artificial restriction of dairy output raised tire power to purchase British goods. It had been proved beyond question that the increased prosperity of the Dominion was reflected immediately in increased imports from Great Britain. ACTION URGED BY FARMERS LEVY ON IMPORTERS SUGGESTED LONDON, November 28. "The National Farmers' Union has asked the Government to seek an understanding with the Dominions regarding the quantitative regulation of cheese and other dairy produce imports, with immediate legislation compelling importers of milk products to pay a levy to form a fund to compensate British dairy i farmers. The union contends that a levy does not violate the Ottawa agreeI ments as it already applies to milic j marketing. RESTRICTION ON ORANGES WANTED (ri'.rnsn official wicki.kss.) RUGBY, November 27. In the House of Commons, Mr Walter Runciman, President of the Board of Trade, promised to consider the possibility of imposing a quota on foreign oranges, which, m spite of a dutv of 3s 6d a cwt, were landed to the detriment of Dominion and colonial fruit. He admitted that no power to do so at present existed.