CRITICAL VIEWS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 258, 14 October 1932, Page 6

CRITICAL VIEWS

DEBATE IN HOUSE VALUE OF AGREEMENT. PRIME MINISTER’S ASSURANCE. Wellington, Oct. 13. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates completed the delivery of his Ottawa speech in the House to-night at 8.30 and tabled the agreement between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The Prime Minister moved that urgency be accorded the Customs resolutions and the formal motion for ratification of the agreement. The idea was to enable full discussion on the conference results to take place on Tuesday. Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, inquired whether the method proposed would not curtail the debate, but was assured by Mr Forbes that that was not his intention. The plan was to provide an opportunity for a full debate on Tuesday, as the Imprest Bill had to be considered to-mor-row.

The urgency motions were agreed to. On the first stage of the resolutions Mr Holland said the tariff changes sought to be made were only preliminary to what would follow in view of the article empowering the New Zealand Government to undertake an inquiry into existing protective duties and reduce them as speedily as possible to a level placing the United Kingdom • producer in the position of a domestic competitor. In that portion of the report were contained elements of danger to secondary industries. British and foreign confectionery would be more advantageously placed in competition with local manufactures, although the confectionery trade in New Zealand was in a deplorable condition to-day. The apparel industry was natural to New Zealand, and the same argument applied to hosiery. TIME TO STOP TINKERING. The time had arrived to give up tariff tinkering and for New Zealand to say that if goods could not be produced in the Dominion they should come in duty free, and if they could be produced here importations of that nature were not required. The effect of the resolutions would be to open the New Zealand market to Japan. The removal of the surtax would strike another blow at local manufacturers. There was no doubt that the Japanese were invading the New Zealand market at the present time. Dealing with meat, Mr Holland said that sooner or later Argentine meat would conflict with New Zealand interests. He suggested that the time had arrived when straightout trade agreements should be made with Britain and other countries. The only solution of the present difficulties was to improve the purchasing power of the people. A FORWARD STEP. Mr Forbes expressed complete satisfaction with the agreement reached at Ottawa. He said that the arrangements made a marked forward step in interEmpire economic relations, and New Zealand would receive substantial benefit. The return asked from New Zealand in response to the concessions made by the Mother Country was comparatively small and showed the generous attitude of Britain to the Dominions. Very substantial preferences had been given New Zealand produce, and there was no doubt that it was most important to this country that she should conserve the British markets as far as possible. Continuing, Mr Forbes said that seepndary industries which had been established on an unsound basis could not expect to be maintained at the expense of the consumer. He was confident that those industries in the forefront—there were a large number of splendid industries in New Zealand — would be able to maintain their position. They could compete on reasonable terms with outside competition. Manufacturers had no right to expect the retention of protection in the form of a surtax, because both the surtax and the primage duty had been imposed purely for revenue purposes. RESOLUTIONS APPROVED. The first stage-of resolutions was completed just before midnight and they were then approved in committee of ways and means.

The Customs resolutions were adopt' ed by the House at 12.30.

Mr Forbes then moved a formal motion ratifying the agreement between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The Leader of the Opposition moved the adjournment of the debate, which was set down as an order of the day for Tuesday next. The House rose at 12.38 until 10.30 to-morrow morning.