PROTECTING HOME TRADE

Hawera Star, Volume L, 18 September 1930, Page 9

PROTECTING HOME TRADE

LATE EDITION

CANADIAN ATTITUDE

HIGHER DUTIES ALL ROUND

MB. FORBES’ NEGOTIATIONS

(United Press Association—2y Electric Telegraph

Copyright.; Received 2.15 p.m. to-dav. OTTAWA, Sept, 17. Discrimination against any country is conspicuous by its absence in the revision of the tariff schedules.. Where the rates are increased they are increased right across the board. The general, intermediate and British preferential tariff increases in the aggregate are slightly more in general and intermediate than in the British preferential, but on the whole there is no wide divergency. Conversations looking toward the formation of a new trade agreement between Canada and New Zealand are in prospect, following the arrival todav of Hon. G. AY. Forbes. Prime Minister of New Zealand. Mr. Forbes stated in an interview:

n I have accepted the invitation of the Canadian Government to enter into conversations with a view to the arrangement- of a new agreement, and am looking forward to- meeting the .Premier (Mr. Bennett) and his col■leagues.” Mr. Forbes is the guest of the Governor at Government House. Mr. Forbes, in a further interview to-day, declared that the eight cents a pound duty on New Zealand butter would be prohibitive insofar as exportation to Canada was concerned, and be hoped that an arrangement would be reached whereby some adjustment would be achieved, but “considering that the duty was put on just as we landed at Ottawa, the situation does not look too hopeful.” New Zealand, however, he added, stood prepared to discuss the matter. The policy of New Zealand was to trade with those nations which traded with her. If such nations did not value New Zealand’s business, then the Dominion would have to look elsewhere, notably the United Kingdom. The prohibitive duties imposed on imports from New Zealand, the Premier continued, were obviously so one-sided that trade could not continue. New Zealand had to export produce in order to pay for imports. Twenty per cent, of the Dominion’s butter export was sold in Canada, Regarding the decision of New Zealand in withdrawing the preference extended to Canadian automobiles, Mr. Forbes declared that the Canadian manufacturer still had 15 per cent, preference over the United States.. Mr. Forbes met tile Premier (Mr. Bennett) and several Cabinet Ministers earlier in the day. As a protest against the Government’s tariff proposals, Mr. Mackenzie King (former Prime Minister) to-day moved an amendment to a motion to go into a committee of ways and means, stating: “The House regrets that the Government has seen fit at a. special session called to deal only with unemployment proposals to submit great increases in Customs taxation in a wide range of commodities, under circumstances which precluded the House and country from securing aderppfte information regarding the prorptsals and prevent Parliament from discussing them. In the opinion of this House the 'tremendous increases in taxation proposed will not end unemployment. but will inevitably increase the cost of living and also increase the cost of production in primary industries, agriculture, fishing, milling and lumbering, thus making it more- difficult for producers in these industries to meet world competition in marketing their products.” Speaking on the tariff proposals Mr. Mackenzie King said : “I wish to protest in the strongest language possible against the time at which the amendments to the Customs tariff have been brought down and at the circumstances under which they have been introduced.” The Government, he added, was seeking expedition, so that its members could go to the Imperial Conference. Common decency and courtesy . alone would demand that- any changes in the tariff against Empire goods might he left until after the Imperial Conference. The House to-day read a third time the Government measure to amend the Customs Act in respect to the dumping clause.