BRITISH MEAT PROPOSALS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 21 February 1935, Page 5

BRITISH MEAT PROPOSALS

Confusion Exists Over Attitude of Commonwealth

THE ALTERNATIVE TO QUOTAS

SUBSTITUTION OF LEVY

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph

Copyright.). Received 1 p.m. to-day. LONDON, Feb. 20.

The Dominions Office has received Canberra’s reply in connection with Dr. Earle Page’s statement regarding the British meat proposals. Authoritative quarters decline to comment, pending an examination, but a Government statement is imminent, and it is hoped that this will clear up the confusion.

A Melbourne message says that Mr Page, referring to Mr Elliot’s statement, says: “There is no reason to qualify in any way the official statement made by me on Tuesday. This statement is based on the -Commonwealth reply to the proposals made by the British Government.”

It was learned at Canberra that the principles for an agreement between the British and Australian Governments on the subject of meat, which were disclosed by Mr Page on Tuesday, were presented to the Australian Government in cable messages from the British Government as definitely the only alternative to a drastic quantitative curtailment of meat imports to Britain. Australia’s difficulty in reconciling Mr Elliott’s statement in the House of Commons on Monday with agreement in the principle to "which the Commonwealth subscribed regarding meat marketing without restriction for Australia’s exports may best be explained bv empliasing that Mr Elliott has not retreated from the viewpoint that restriction is necessary by the substitution of a levy for a quota. He makes it clear that while Britain does not relish the fask of undertaking the ,prderly marketing of produce from the ends of the earth, he remains convinced that meat exporters, particularly in Australia, will fiud from bitter experience that they must themselves arrange regulations of supplies in order to prevent a further fall in beef prices. Mr Elliot’s explanation" on Monday amounts to a change in practice rather than principle, for Britain’s administrative task has been simplified by the introducing of a levy while throwing upon the Dominions the respofisibility of takng the consequences of poor prices if overloading of the market persists.