IMPORT CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 256, 27 July 1939, Page 10

IMPORT CONTROL

No Connexion Seen With Quotas On Produce EXPORTS TO BRITAIN Promise To Manufacturers To Be Honoured Statements suggesting that restrictions on imports into New Zealand were responsible for retaliatory action by the United Kingdom against this country’s- exports of primary produce were denied by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Sulhvan, during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives last night. In the statement issued last week concerning the London negotiations, said Mr. Sullivan, it was specifically stated that no exception was taken by the British authorities to the principle adopted by New Zealand. “It has been suggested that the introduction of import restrictions by this country has had something to do with, and will have something to do with, the placing of restrictions on our exports to the United Kingdom,” said Mr. Sullivan. “Anyone who has read the speech by the present Minister of Agriculture in England, Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, at the producers’ conference in Sydney last year, will realize that is not so. Sir Reginald said on that occasion that all political parties in Great Britain were determined to maintain British agriculture, and further to make no mistake there would be some regulation of imports.” Regulation and Restrictions. Mr. Polson (Opposition, Stratford): Regulation and restriction are two different things. Mr. Sullivan: Immediately after Sir Reginald returned to England from that conference he was made Minister of Agriculture. Mr. Polson: He pledged himself before he left Sydney to avoid restriction if New Zealand agreed to regulation. Mr. Sullivan said that when one real the statements of responsible men 11! the United Kingdom concerning the necessity for developing British agriculture in the interests of the national defence of Great Britain as well as from the general economic viewpoint, and then listened to some members suggesting that import restrictions in New Zealand had some effect on restrictions on New Zealand’s export of primary produce, it was obvious that the latter statements were not consistent with the facts. Obligations to be Honoured. “In view of Sir Reginald’s statement, I hope it will not be suggested that the introduction of import restrictions in New Zealand has any relationship to the adoption of a restrictive policy in the United Kingdom’ said Mr. Sullivan. “The agreement made between the British authorities and the Minister of Finance, Mr. Xu-h, is qualified by he statement relating to the obligations entered into with manti faetiirers in New Zealand. That qunli Mention is specifically mentioned in the agreement, and it has to lie honoured. To tlie extent that commitments have been made to manufacturers in New Zealand they will be honoureu.’' An Opposition: Pledges were also An Opposition member: Pledges were also given to British manufactm-rrs. Mr. Sullivan said that New Zealand had given an undertaking no» to es> tablish uneconomic industries. So tar as the establishment of new industries was concerned representatives of th" United Kingdom would be invbcd to discuss the position as to whether the industry concerned was uneconomic.

Notice of l.'is intention to ask the Prime Minister whether the Government had utilized the reserve of th' common fund of the public trust funds to the extent of £2,000,000 odd mlgiven by Mr. Kyle (Opposition, Ric carton) in I lie House of Representa lives yesterday.