MEAT FOR BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 275, 16 August 1932, Page 9

MEAT FOR BRITAIN

Dominions* Demands PREFERENCE & QUOTA Crucial Point Reached OTTAWA DISCUSSIONS By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. August 15, 8.40 p.m.) Ottawa, August 14. The Australian and New Zealand delegations to the Imperial Conference finally overhauled the meat position to-night prior to faemg the crucial discussion to-morrow. It is understood that their attitude will be firmly maintained except that they will pot actually refuse duties alone if a quota is refused, but they . will return home bitterly <h® a P' pointed. Asked whether half a mat is not better than none a delegate replied: “But isn’t a quota the whole loaf?” Moreover, although Messrs. S. M. Bruce and J. G. Coates are solidly united in taking the view that beef, mutton and lamb together are one inseparable problem, they would not refuse mutton and lamb preference if it is infused on beef. But the delegations are not visualising complete refusals or seeking to prepare the Australian ana New Zealand labile for bad news. It has been argued on the British side that any meat Quota might eventually, if not immediately, have the effect of restricting Britain’s total imports, causing consternation, if the Dominion supplies unexpectedly dropped ana meat prices rose. It was further argued that the British working man was accustomed to a rise and fall of a farthing or a halfpenny or a penny in the price of bread, but was apt to become volubly annoyed if he suspected the meat market likewise was being tampered with to his detriment, and meat was a more important article to the working household even than bread. "Quota Necessary.” The Dominions replied that the amount of meat regularly reaching Britain was considerably above the normal consumption, and therefore large stocks were continuously m cold store and fair prices were not received. A small restriction of. the import of Argentine chilled beef would be hardly perceptible in reducing the saturation of the market, but coupled with a modest duty would give a measure of assistance to New Zealand and Australian producers, which might well make the difference between salvation and complete ruin. Moreover, the Dominions were prepared to regard the arrangement as temporary, so that it might be reviewed when a general rise occurred all round, but they declared that the quota was now imperatively necessary. Many forms of quotas have been discussed in the past few days, but the Dominions would be content with a simple quantitative restriction of Argentine beef and Danish bacon, allowIng every other source of supply freely* Meat from Argentine and Brazil. Another argument put forward to emphasise the futility of preferences without quantitative restrictions is that Brazil with her vast territories may shortly develop the cattle Industry, becoming a serious factor in the exp° r J market. The Argentine and Brazil combined could export almost limitless quantities. Therefore Australia explained to the British delegates that she does not particularly want a duty against chilled beef, regarding a quota, however small, against the Argentine alone as the only effective measure. A duty against Argentine and other frozen beef alone would be disastrous, because it would result in the Argentine sending still more chilled beef and making it impossible for Australian frozen meat to compete at all. Mr. 8. M. Bruce (Australia) points out that half the cause of the Present meat troqbl© is due to the fall in the price of bacon in Britain from a shilling to sixpence a pound, The recent tremendous inflow of Danish bacon has hit mutton and lamb badly. Britain’s total meat imports in 1930 were: Chilled beef, 460,000 tons; frozen beef, 130,000 tons; mutton and lamb, 350,000 tons; pig products, 650,000 tons. . . Meat has now become the main issue at the Conference so far a® Australia and New Zealand are concerned.. It is believed that these two delegations would accept a quota only in the last resort if they cannot get both duty and quota.

LONDON’S APPROVAL Currency Recommendations lightening debt burden (Rec. August 15, 8.40 p.m.) London, August 15. “The report of the Monetary Committee at Ottawa meets with the entire approval of the elty, thoughi it l« still a problem how to avoid credit facilities being abused by tors," states the “Morning Post s city editor. “The report contains no hlghflown recommendations for stabilising Empire exchanges by the use of a common medium, nor is there an outright recommendation for return to the gold standard, though this Is implied by the endorsement of Britain s action in establishing-machinery for preventing wide fluctuations in the gold value of sterling. . “This is a recognition that sterling and Dominion currencies should not fluctuate without any regard to gold, thus paving the way for their definite re-establishment when a satisfactory world standard is achieved by international action. The Ottawa recommendations should be capable of complete endorsement by the International Conference in October. “Summed up, they aim at lightening the burden of debt in all countries by reversing the forces which rendered their weight in terms of commodities intolerable.” IMPERIAL SETTLEMENTS Clearing House Report Denied (Rec. August 15. 8.30 p.m.) Ottawa, August 14. Mr. S. M. Bruce denies a report published by. the “New York Times” that a clearing house of Imperial settlements Is likely as a consequence of the Conference’a currency report. He adds: "There i« no possibility of anything of