TRADE WITH CANADA

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 105, 6 May 1931, Page 8

TRADE WITH CANADA

UNFORTUNATE POLICY

BOTH COUNTRIES SUFFER

NEWSPAPER'S PLEA

(From '^The Post's"' Representative.) VANCOUVER, ,12th April. An extraordinary cliiango has come over the trade relations of New Zealand and Canada, since the. latter raised the duty on butter and the former retaliated with a higher duty on automobiles. From. January to October, 1930, prior to the alteration c»f the duty, New Zealand exported approximately 37,----000,0001b of butter to' Canada, or an average of 4,000,0001b a month. In subsequent months buttter arrived in Canada as follows: —November, 641b; December, 84,2421b; Jatnuary, 17961b; February; 132,3381b. The total value of motor-cars exported from Canada to 2\W'.w Zealand in 1930 was £1,120,000, t ne;M:ly 8000 ears being exported, or over 660 per month. In the month of Januairy, this year, Canada exported 225 cats, valued at £19,800. In February omly four cars were exported. These- figures show the effect of the cancellation of the agreeiment with New Zealand, and demonstrate that the results have been most unitortunate for both countries. NEED FOR ACTION. The Vancouver "Daily Province" which has always sponsored the'agreement, is urging Canadian blisiness interests to stress the need £<>r immediate action and to urge the Government at Ottawa to .restore the agreement. "New Zealand," it says, "feels the loss of her butter 'trade keenly, and hag an idea that Australia-has ; got ahead of her through tho negotiation of a reciprocal agreement with. Canada. Mr. Forbes has been blamed, severely for the prevailing conditions,1 and has been criticised for not returning from itho Imperial Conference by way- of Canada. The Australian aj^reement, however, is still hanging fli»e. Mr. Stevens, the Minister at Ottawa most interested in carrying it through, has been ill, and in Australia the ■Government has been very much'wonted by both financial and political tlroubles. When the Australian agreememt has been completed, ito- doubt .steps will be taken to arrango a similar treatiry with New Zealand. The two southern Dominions are both-good customers of Canada, and have a market capaSble of being developed. They have similar products to export, and there should bea market for some' of these in Canada. It was never intended that one should be treated differently from the' other. "But while negotiations are dragging, New Zealand is becoming impatient and the Chamber of Commerce at Auckland has decided to take up the matter of better relations with the Now Zealand Government, the other New Zealand chambers' of commarce, and the Canadian boards of trade. It is to be hoped that its efforts will meet with 'Success. , If the method of negotiating, instead of clapping oh < high duties, had been adopted- from the I><Sginning, the trade between the tinno countries might have- been in a motne satisfactory condition to-day." TRADE REPRESENTATIVES. A very regrettable incident in thepresent controversy is the attack made' in the New Zealand Press by Mr. W. H. C. Macaulay, of Vancouver, on the Dominion's Commissioner, Mr. W.\'-J»j Collins, in saying: "A year or so ago, wo heard that a Trade- Commissioner had been sent here, but nothing is known about him or his whereabouts, or whether he is still in Canada. With Austral/ pushing her butter in, and making a real effort, through her muchalivo Trade Commissioner, New Zealand may soon, lose -u/iat trade she has." Quite apart from the unwarranted and unjustifiable attack made by Mr. Macaulay on a deserving public officer, he probably does not .know what is known to the whole commercial community of Vancouver, that is, that New Zealand has had a very active Government agent in Vancouver, Mr. W. A. James, for the past 25 years.. A simple inquiry from, any member of the commercial community, 'the Board of Trade, ;or the public Press, would have placed him in possession of the facts. Mr. Macaulay must surely be aware that, the reason for Australia, securing the butter trade formerly held by New Zealand has nothing whatever to do with the activity of eitlier Trade Commissioner. It is due to the fiscal policy of the Bennett Government which permits Australia to sell . her butter in Canada at 32 cents (Is 4d) per Ib, while making it impossible for New Zealand to do so with a duly of 8 cents (4d) per Ib. Distortion of plain statistical facts will not help to solve the problem, which is simply a matter of asking Canada to honour the pledge she has honoured under the Gentleman's Agreement for over thirty years, until last August, of extending to New Zealand the same Imperial preference accorded to another Dominion.