SUGAR AGREEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22722, 9 August 1937, Page 6

SUGAR AGREEMENT

EFFECT IN AUSTRALIA REGENT WORLD CONFERENCE The Australian Government representative to the International Sugar Conference, Mr A. 11. Townsend, said on his arrival in Sydney from Europe last week that the new sugar agreement meant that not a single Australian worker in the sugar industry would bo put out of employment. Not one acre of land would be thrown out of cultivation, and the annual value of sugar exported from Australia for the term of the new agreement would exceed the annual realisation during the “ bankrupt ” price period of the last eight years. “ Australia has been fortunate in securing so large a basic export quota as 400,000 tons for each of the next five years,” he said, “ which, incidentally, is the third largest quota allowed under the" agreement. That quota is exceeded by Java with 1,050,000 tons annually and Cuba with 940,000. The agreement represents a triumph for Australia’s international trade negotiations. “It was astonishing to find from statistics supplied by every negotiating country that the Australian retail price was among the lowest retail prices in the world. Many European countries, in spite of the fact that they have lower purchasing power than that of Australia, are imposing far higher prices on consumers, Russia’s retail price is approximately equivalent to Is 9d, and Italy’s to about Is 5d a lb. “ Representatives of various countries at the conference unofficially expressed admiration for the Australian method of control, and at their request I supplied some of them with full information of its operation. In spite of our high wages, our cost of production is among those of the low cost countries of the world, and is lower than that of any European country.” THE " OSLO GROUP ” BREAKING TRADE BARRIERS References in recent cables to the “ Oslo group ” have focused attention, though rather vaguely, on a move by seven countries to promote freer trade. It is not generally known, however, that the move is in some ways a continuation of action taken as long ago. as 1930, and that some of its benefits have how been extended to Great Britain and Germany. _ At the Oslo Convention of December, 1930, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg agreed not to increase their tariffs or to establish new duties without giving each other at least 15 days’ notice. The convention was concluded for a period of six months, but further attempts to complete a tariff treaty were not successful. In January of this year Dr Colijn, the Duch Prime Minister, proposed that the discussions between the Oslo Powers should be revived. The proposal was adopted, and a meeting of experts in Brussels in April prepared' a draft multilateral agreement, which formed the basis of discussions for a conference at The Hague on May 24. A NEW AGREEMENT. As a result of this conference a 'communique was issued in the Netherlands. Press. The terms set out that an agreement has been signed between Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxemburg, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The Governments of Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands have undertaken to admit without restriction goods specified in an appendix to the agreement which originate from States that are signatories to the agreement, or to issue import licenses for such goods if that action is necessary. Moreover, these States have undertaken not to increase customs duties on the goods specified. The Governments of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands have undertaken not to. increase the customs levies or special import duties, or to impose duties on goods enumerated! in a second appendix. The agreement also lays down that in principle each new measure which might lead to restriction of commerce shall he communicated to the other signatories. The Governments of the contracting States have agreed to investigate each measure in order to put an end to the practices of abnormal competition in foreign trade, which affect their countries. The agreement was to have come into force at the beginning of last month for a period of one year. It will be open to any other country which has come to similar terms with the present signatories. POWERS’ CO-OPERATION INVITED. The communique adds: “ The agreement must be considered as a first step towards a reduction of of an economic nature. The action which they (the present signatories) have commenced in this manner, and which the signatory Powers have_ undertaken to continue in a protocol signed simultaneously with the_ agreement, will be the more effective if other Powers will co-operate.” A subsequent announcement of the utmost importance, the Department of External Affairs states, is that the Netherlands Government has granted to Germany and Great Britain the privileges accorded to the Oslo States under the new convention. The effect of this concession is that the articles which Holland will allow to enter free of all restrictions but tariffs, from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Finland, she will accept in the same way from the United Kingdom and Germany. In the House of Commons recently the President of the Board of Trade (Mr Oliver Stanley) replied to a question about the Oslo group. He said that Great Britain already had bilateral trade agreements with most of the group, and that he did not think the question of Britain’s participation in the agreement, apart from these pacts, could he usefully considered. THE THEATRE BUSINESS The Tivoli Theatre Circuit. Sydney, will begin the building of a large new theatre this year on a site in the centre of that city, at an estimated cost of more than £250,000. Mr Frank Neil, managing director of Tivoli Theatres, said: “ The new theatre will be thoroughly up to date. If possible, it will have a seating capacity of more than 2,000.” Mr Neil added that the Tivoli Circuit was undertaking a -general extension this year. A new theatre, on the lines of the proposed Sydney venture, would bo built in Melbourne, and the activities of the circuit would be extended to New Zealand and South Australia,-