BRITAIN’.S FARMERS

Grey River Argus, 27 February 1943, Page 5

BRITAIN’.S FARMERS

POST-WAR PRICE GUARANTEES

PEERS’ PROPOSALS

LONDON, Feb. 25. Lord Bledisloe and Lord Balfour of Burleigh, are among the Peers signing a report on post-war agricultural policy for Great Britain. Earl d e la Warr, discussing the report with Empire correspondents, said it could be called a child of the Sydney Conference. He agreed that the “determined price” which Britain should be willing to pay for imports, and the “stability” aimed at for home farmers, compared with the guaranteed price system adopted by New Zealand.

He thought there should be an international conference to decide export quotas, which exporting countries should be allowed to exceed only by international agreement. The way for such conference might be paved before the end of the war. There was a useful basis for post-war machinery in the existing wartime systems. The agricultural policy for Britain could only be carried out hv systems and agreements with other countries, or by closing the British market, but the latter was undesirable, as it would only be harmful to everybody. He thought that two or three years would elapse before agriculture returned to more normal conditions in Europe, and that the assisting controls in Britain would have to remain for some time. T'her e might be a danger of over-production in overseas countries to meet the European position, unless steps wers taken to avoid it. The Peers’ report was published in the hope it would influence public opinion on Government policy. Many farming and political bodies are discussing post-war agriculture and an indication of the Government’s intentions will shortly be sought.