TRADE RELATIONS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LIII, Issue 12, 12 February 1932, Page 7

TRADE RELATIONS

EMPIRE'S GREAT CHANCE.

OTTAWA-MEND OR END,

SIR JAMES PARR'S VIEW,

Referring to the Ottawa Conference, Sir James Parr, Leader of the Legislative Council, and former High Commissioner for New Zealand, statjed in an address at the Masterton Rotary Club that for the first time in the history of the Imperial Conference Britain would attend with her hand untied. As a Freetrade country, [she had no power to make a bargain. Now she had a mandate for Protection, and heaven help the politician who failed to obey that mandate.

I New Zealand should go to the Ottawa conference with a programme and not in a haphazard way, Sir James said. In preparing for the conference, counsel should be taken not only with the farmers but with industrialists. The great local industries built up and out of primary production must go on. There were industries in this country employing thousands and thousands of men and women that could not shut down. Britain did not expect that they should. What, then, would Britain expect in return for giving a sheltered market to New Zealand farmers—the imposition of duties of perhaps 2d a pound on foreign butter, 5/- or 10/- a cwt. .on fruit, and ljd a pound on lamb?

Sir James said he could visualise the time when the Dominion's returns on dairy produce would be not 18 millions, but 35 to 36 millions. This would be not only a possibility but a probability with a sheltering tariff in England, as against conditions in which competition of foreign produce was reducing the New Zealand farmer to a state in which he was faced only with ruin. England would give the Dominion the market he had indicated if New Zealand on its part transferred to England say, 10 or 11 millions of a trade of 15| millions now done with foreign countries and lowered some of the existing duties [on British goods.

It should be recognised in this country that the Ottawa Conference was the biggest and most important event of the year for New Zealand. The Empire would be mended or end-' ed according to what happened at Ottawa. This might be a strong statement to make, but it was not extravagant. Where did the Empire stand? The old constitutional links had completely gone, no pact or treaty held the country together. There was only one link left—the Kingship.

I The formulae drafted by Lord Bal:four at the Imperial Conference of 1926 made every Dominion co-equal in status and rank with the Mother Country. For practical purposes all the Dominions were independent countries held together by the tie of a common kingship, Sir James said.

Referring to his work in the Empire crusade, Sir James said that much was heard in this country about production and more production, but insufficient attention was paid to the other end—the marketing of produce. In thirty years—from 1901 onward— the Dominion had increased its production 400 per cent. On going to the Midlands, however, to observe the marketing of this country's produce, he found the position in some respects unsatisfactory and disquieting. In many cities he found our butter being sold in about one shop out of eight, while Danish butter was in every shop. In many British cities he had addressed trade representatives and others on the subject of Empire trade. In moving a vote of thanks to Sir James, which was carried by acclamation, Mr C. M. Bowden urged that the New Zealand delegation to Ottawa should be thoroughly representative of trade, commerce, and farming and other industry of the Dominion, and ventured to hope that the delegation would include the former High Commissioner, Sir James Parr.