THE FARMER FIRST

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 104, 4 May 1935, Page 10

THE FARMER FIRST

NEW BRITISH POLICY

RESTRICTION OF IMPORTS

SOME NOTES AND COMMENTS

It must be very difficult for the general reader to follow references made day by day to the new British agricultural policy—for it is comparatively new. Those more or less directly interested in New Zealand primary production—farmers, exporting houses, banks, and shipping companies and certain Government Departments and producers' boards, may be able to clearly discern the developments in that policy in so far as it affects New Zealand. But for the rest of the community to do so is far from easy. Many persons, no doubt, give up trying to follow the course of events, and yet upon the developments referred to largely depends the material welfare of this Dominion.

With the intention of assisting the general reader to follow the developments resulting from pursuance of the British Government policy to rehabilitate the British farming industry in all its branches, and the effect of such action on the farming industry of New Zealand, a few notes and comments as set out hereunder may be found helpful, and if desired be cut out for reference. New Zealand's chief exports are the products of husbandry. They are mainly wool, meat, and the products of the freezing industry and milk products. £ The value in Kew Zealand currency of New Zealand produce for 1931 was 46,771,203 Included in these exports those to tho United Kingdom were of the valuo of '....'..■.. 38,482 008 Exports to other countries in tha British Empire .... • 2,598,497 Exports to foreign countries 5.C90.128 These figures show how great is the proportion of the total exports of New Zealand produce shipped to Great Brittain. Of the £46,771,000 of exports of New Zealand produce the, principal items were" the products . of New Zealand farms, and for 1934 they-were of the total value of over £43,300,000 made up as follows:— , . ': Wool and sheepskins 13,766,516 Meat, hides, and tallow 13 278 956 Butter, cheese, and processed milk 15,294!g09 Apples ........ 716,780 £ eas •• • 138,261 Grass seeds 148184 Value of exports of husbandry '. £43,344,306 Other exports of New Zealand products1 of the value of six figures and over, were:— . " • ' £ - 2?™ • - 1,320,690 hkins and furs . 325 4gn Timber 320^527 Total :.......... 1,966,677 Information of the destination of this produce is not yet available; but the fact that out of a grand total of exports of the value of £46,771,000, the exports to the United Kingdom were of the value of. £38,482,000 will indicate that Britain is New Zealand's main market for its : farm products. OUR MAIN MARKET; Britain is the one.main open mdrket for the. farm products of New Zealand; i-,the wheat, timber, and dairy and pig farm products of Canada; the wheat, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy produce, sugar, and wine of Australia; the,fruit, wine,, grains, and.other farm products of South: Africa; the fruit- and sugar products of the .West Indies. " '■": ZApst foreign markets and some of the markets of the British. Dominions are closed, to the farm products of New Zealand.^either by emtTargoe's or by high Customs duties., . .Wool from New Zealand is not included in the above figures! because, like gold, it has an international market. Although certain countries collect Customs duties on imports of wool these duties are taken into account by the buyer in New Zealand, and allowed for in the price he is authorised by his principals to pay. . , .; . The policy of the British Government of today is to protect British industries and it regards agriculture the oldest British industry as in need "of protection. Protection means securing the local or domestic market to the local producer. Free Trade means admission of goods\from other countries without limit, or Customs duties (except revenue duties). Great Britain has abandoned its long-continued Free Trade policy. .. . Npt much is heard about it, but the New Zealand farmer is substantially protected in his; domestic market by Customs duties and, in some instances 'embargoes. < ' SELF-SUFFICIENCY. Most Governments of the British Dominions believe in and give effect to a policy of self-sufficiency (cost what it ' may) in the matter of supplies of foodstuffs and other necessaries. Instance Yew; Zealand's wheat • supply. The British Government appears to v have > the same idea. Its policy is Britain 1 first, the Dominions next, and the rest « to follow. . •... , ]

What has been done by Britain to attain to at least-a; degree of self-suf-ficiency?. It has imposed duties on dairy, produce from foreign countrieson cut flowers, vegetables, seeds, and flower bulbs from foreign countries. It has subsidised the British producer of beef; it has limited the imports of meat from the British Dominions and from foreign countries. > ■■-.

What is a quota? The limitation of the quantity of any article that may be importedinstead of, as formerly and in part now, the unlimited; importation of goods from -other..countries. Instance New Zealand dairy produce and meat and fruit. . . ; ■

Some idea of the importance of farming to Great Britain may be gained by a glance at the following figures-—

Cattlo',!,;;;• •••••"' 25> 900.000 '28,600 000 Wheat, 'acres ih'"" * Itjjo'ooo 1i 932.-« 00 Lumvatcd area, acres 29,732,000 19,186!oOT>

presence of Mr. Forbes and Mr. ■=J?l**• a^ x rePresenUng New Zealand, t^v—t- + w yOns> as Australia at the; present time is largely explainedl (l) by the anxiety felt in New Zealand and Australia as to the future of the great British market for the pro--7-iw 5 °f. their respective countries; and (2) to,discuss with the British Government! its- policy of protection of the industry of the British farmer, securing to him the full advantage of his own domestic market; in so far as that policy does or may affect imports from New Zealand and AustraUa. Any severe curtailment of the volume of exports of New* Zealand farm products to.the United Kingdom, in the absence of other and compensating outlets for it, would- be a most serious matter for this Dominion. * New, Zealand has long:reached the point of absorption of its meat, dairy produce, fruit, and some other export able; products. But'in addition it has an export-trade of about 290,000 tons of meat in variousforms and about23o,ooo tons of butter and cheese. Quantities of these exported, to markets other than"" to™ those' 6f Great" Britain are negligible by,, comparison^ ■ , . ■ ■The above figures and comments are approximately correct.:: They are given with jthe. intention of.hewing the

general reader, to understand the position as it affects the farmer in New Zealand, when quotas, levies, or other restraints upon, the entrance of his produce to the British market are in .discussion. -They may also, assist in I understanding the policy of the Britislr Government in regard to putting the great British agricultural and pastoral industry on •a: sound financia' footing. ■ ■■..■•