MIRY PRODUCE QUOTAS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 9 March 1934, Page 4

MIRY PRODUCE QUOTAS

QUESTION FOR DOMINIONS BRITISH FARMERS’ POSITION. LORD BLED I SLOE’S REVIEW. Referring in a speech at the Taranaki agricultural show yesterday to the proposed quotas on dairy exports to Great Britain, Lord Bledisloe said that whether it be advisable or not was for the Dominion to decide. All insularity of outlook had to be avoided and minds clarified as to the exact position. “Dairy farming is the most important branch of husbandry in Great Britain,” he said. “To-day it is faced with bankruptcy, a position that no British Government can overlook, mainly owing to an increase in daily exports cf varying quality from Australia of over 200 per cent, within five years, with a relatively small increase front New Zealand. It is no fault oi the British farmer. He is only asking to be allowed to live.” An earnest, appeal, continued Lord Bledisloe, was being made to find some method bv which dairy binning both in New Zealand and England might be saved from bankruptcy. Due tiling certain was that the Ottawa Conference was the strongest evidence of it. It was also certain that subject to the salvation from ruin of her own dairy farmers - Great Britain was not going t'o stand by and allow New Zealand farmers to suffer permanent impoverishment. “In these discussions,” said Ins Excellency, “I would beg of you to insist on a clear differentiation between prime butter and prime cheese and that of third-rate quality competing with yours in the British market, always taking care that your output answers to the first description. If you do I am perfectly certain that this Dominion —and this district in particular—has nothing whatever to fear from approaching confidently the solution of this unhappy disagreement between a genuinely affectionate mother and a genuinely affectionate daughter.

AVOIDANCE DESIRED.

W AIRARAPA SUCGESTIONIS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.} MASTER,TON, March 8. A meeting of farmers at Masterton yesterday agreed that quotas should be avoided if possible, but some considered the imposition of restrictions inevitable. A motion was passed “That the feeling of the meeting is opposed to the imposition of a quota and it recommends the Dairy Board to negotiate with the British Government for the avoidance of quotas before the expiration of the Ottawa agreement.” As one means of disposing of surplus butter Mr. J. O. Holms recommended its export to India, Burma and the Malay States as ghi or clarified butter, which sold retail at lid a pound in Karachi. Mr. A. D. McLeod said that the average price of ghi in India was about 8d a pound. The present difficulty in export was the lack of direct shipping services. Transhipment in Australia was costly Mr. Holms said that butter exported as ghi would not bring a big price, but something would be got for the surplus .sold in this way and relief to the British market would automatically raise prices there. The Research Department had had the ghi project before it for some months, but seemed to have done nothing.