THREAT OF A QUOTA

Evening Star, Issue 21722, 17 May 1934, Page 11

THREAT OF A QUOTA

DOMINION’S CASE AGAINST FOREIGNERS TALK OF AN EMPIRE CONFERENCE LONDON, April 13. The visit to England of Mr Dynes Fulton, deputy-chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, happening at a time when the extent of the surplus of the domestic milk supply is causing farmers at home to demand protection from overseas competition apd there is official talk of a restrictive quota for dominion dairy produce to keep the milk marketing scheme in operation, has been most opportune, and the ‘ Manchester Guardian,’ in a special interview the other day gave him a tine opportunity of presenting the dominion’s case against the proposal of a quota. Meanwhile, it is regrettable to find two Government spokesmen—Captain Margesson, the Chief Conservative Whip, and Mr W. Ormsby-Gore, First Commissioner of. Works—leading the van of criticism against the dominions, and alleging that by their increased exports of butter .and cheese to the home country they are “ preventng the British farmer from getting anything like a decent price for his milk products.” These are the words of Mr OrmsbyGore in the House of Commons, the other day, in reply to criticisms of the milk scheme. Mr Elliot and his supporters have not hesitated to state that as soon as the Government is freed from the, commitments of Ottawa, it will press for a quota bn dominion dairy produce. However, many influential supporters of the Government desire to make Imperial relations still closer by giving the dominions a continued preference over the foreigner, and no doubt they would support the proposal now being mooted in the home Press generally for an Imperial economic conference to bo assembled before the, Ottawa agreements expire in June, 1935. A number of leading newspapers, notably ‘ The Times,’ the ‘ Morning Post,’ the ‘ Manchester Guardian.’ the ‘ Daily Express,’ and the ‘ NewsChronicle,’ have lately opened their columns to discussion of the quota proposal. The possibilities of a planned coordination of Home and Empire production were discussed in a recent series of articles iu 1 The Times,’ and the desirability of diverting dairy produce supplies from foreign to English and dominion sources is being continually emphasised by individual supporters of Homo and Empire interests. Sir Archibald Weigall and Mr George G. Mitcheson, M.P., in recent letters to the Press have both contended that the real cause of the low price obtainable for milk products here is that, while the dominions have increased their exports to this country under tho Ottawa agreements, there has been no compensating reduction of foreign im-

ports. At present 46 per cent, of Britain’s imports ■of dairy produce are foreign. Denmark is still her biggest supplier of butter, and last year both Russia and Sweden greatly increased their dairy exports to her. The advantages of giving first the Horne and secondly the dominion producer preference over the foreigner are steadily being advocated. When the interests of the British manufacturer, of the British investor, and of British shipping are also considered it becomes obvious that the dominions will have a strong case to present to the British Government when it prepares to take a definite decision. The trade factor will, of course, be the deciding issue, and'much will depend on New Zealand’s attitude to the tariff and to the “ buy British ” policy when the Imperial Government wants to strike a new bargain with, the dominions. The growing preference of New Zealand for British manufactures and, in particular, her almost complete conversion from the American to the British motor car, is strengthening the dominion’s hand, as was indicated by the ’Dairy Produce Board in a recent article issued to the Press. The board is about to open a sales campaign in the Birmingham and Wolverhampton districts—both large centres for motor manufactures—and New Zealand’s latest import figures should make an effective appeal to consumers in that area. The campaign in Liverpool and Birkenhead last month was as successful as the earlier one in the Manchester area, and in the New Zealand shop window dressing competitions a new record of 506 entries was obtained. Another feature of the campaign was the display to 1,000 Liverpool children of films which depicted butter and cheese production in New Zealand. Afterwards these children were presented with samples of the dominion’s butter. An opportunity for emphasising the nutritive value of the dominion’s dairy produce has been provided by the presentation by the board’s London agency of a case of New Zealand butter to the British Arctic (Greenland) Expedition, which left Harwich the other day to survey an unexplored range of mountains on the east coast of Greenland. T : .euteuant‘Martin Lindsay, leader of the expedition, stated in an article issued to the Press that the party was to undertake a 1,000-mile sledge journey without food depots along the route, and that the gift of dominion butter “ coming from the far south to the far north ” would he included in the special provisions the explorers would take on their trek across the Greenland ice cap.