WANING HOPES

Hawera Star, Volume L, 25 October 1930, Page 5

WANING HOPES

TRADE AGREEMENTS UNLIKELY

BRITAIN’S STAND A BAR

WORK OF THE COMMITTEE,4

i<m»cu i Ir.oo .k.-6UCUui/u uj t**>.«-Uu. icjc^i*»pu LONDON, Oct. 24. ■•lmperial Conference in lialancc" iind ••iVaning flopes qr Empire Economic Co-operation," are some oi tlie noadlines in the “Morning Post’' noove an article stating considerations of courtesy and oi liope that private negotiations with; British, industrialists iu_ay m some measure compensate lor i. impending tailure oi‘ the conference, alone keep certain of the more important Dominicans’ delegations here. Opinion in Dominion circles is emnnntie that the stand taken by the i 7. itish delegation preclude* any hope is, the conclusion oi adequate trade agreements. The Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, in an interview said that before the j. meeting of the heads of the delegations he will have conversations with ilie Dominion Prime Ministers, in which the work of the comerence win be reviewed. He has already had a long talk with the Australian Prime Minis-, i.'., Mr. J. H. Senllin, and will have with the others in turn. 7 The committees formed to deal with Nio subjects on the conference agenda have now dealt in detail or in genet al terms with the matters 'before them, and several have reached agreement on recommendations to be laid before the I conference. The reports have first toj no. drafted and revised before presen-i tatjon to the delegation heads and to j the" conference. No decisions, however, will be taken except by tlie conference in a plenary session. . . , It is learned that Mr Forbes intends to take an early opportunity of publicly declaring that as far as New Zealand is concerned the important work or the e on feronco is end 00. with the* British Government’s refusal to entertain preferential tariffs. He will express msappointment, but not resentment, at being forced to accept it as a final decision. . It is announced inside and outside the conference by Mr Snowden that he will point out that while Mr Ramsay MacDonald, throughout insisted that every means of trade development was open for consideration, no steps had been taken to refer to the committees the ease for preference as made out by the Dominions’ delegates, though Britain’s alternatives of quotas and bulk purchases were being daily analysed! by - the committee. New Zealand, by reason of the control of the Rtoss Dependency, is closely attending the committee dealing with Antarctic. Hitherto the discussion had centred on rlie clangers of exterminating whales by modern methods. Whereas whalers now are virtually whale-process factories, formerly whales had) to bo taken to a port for handling for oil extraction, but the whole process is now carried out aboard the whalers. Norwegians own the majority of whalers, Britain being the nnlv other operator. The conference committee is carefully examining the draft of the international whaling convention drawn up bv the League of Nations, which Britain and Norway are equally anxious to make effective and ratify. There has been some anticipation that the United States might claim some por-

■ tion of the uninhabitable Antarctic no *y i man’s land on which 'Rear-Admiral Byrd landed, but none was forthcom- ' in".

FATAL DIFFERENCE.. EMPIRE TRADE POLICY'. LONDON. Oct. 23. I n a speech at South Paddington, in •• Jv to Air. Baldwin, Lord Beaver- ’•• ok said that there was some talk a ouarrel between Mr. Baldwin and himself, but. there was nothing he regretted more than the fatal difference -00-nrding the path by which they to'mM approach the future of the F'mr*i re.

“Mr. Baldwin asks for our support,” 1 or f ] Bonv-erbrook said. “Wo regret V- proposal for a free hand to tax or ■'"t to tax foreign foodstuffs, as the oivo-imstances mar dictate. We want immediate positive 'policy of Empire T.--VVO, Trade, based on the imposition of d"+'es on foreign foodstuffs.” Reelvin" to an interiecrtor. Lord Ponver-broolc denied that he was seeking t bp leadership of the Conserative Pa rtv.

TYPE OF TARIFF. I NOT IST HI A L POLICY. '(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Oct. 23. The president of the Federation of ■v-;ti,sh Industries has set up two committees. one of which will consider the of tarfiff which can best meet the requirements of British industry and best methods of dealing with reciprocal trade agreements with, the Dominions. The second committee will enunciate a complete industrial policy.