OTTAWA AGREEMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1932, Page 5

OTTAWA AGREEMENT

EMPIRE TRADE VARIOUS VIEWS EXPRESSED. V ' r ~ (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 15. Mr Stanley Bruce, Australian Minister, resident' ! in London, expressed V confidence that thA’’Ottawa agreement between Britain; find” ' Australia would prove a great r advantage tfl . both countries. The operation of the new preferences, when followed by a gradual adaption of the Australian tariff policy to the principles agreed upon at Ottawa,, should ensure to British industry a prepondering share of the Australian " import trade, which', as Britain’s action helped Australian farmers to obtain a more satisfactory outlet for .their produce should steadily increase. Sir WillianV Crawford announces that the Adveristing Association is organising an Imperial Marketing ad'verisinent exhibition at Olympia ’lev VpiJ.V,

19113, in an : eudeftv i it* to bring to* gether marketing interests of I’rit.tm, the Dominions and .eplMie-lJt! implement the Ottawa _by development of Imperial trade 'relpfions, The "Standard” _ in ati 'editorial headed "What Ottawa left Undone,” says: Imports pf foreign . -meat are regulated, but South American chilled beef is lpft untouched, The avowed object of the’meat gqpja is to improve the market here, flow can that be done if South America; is allowed to continue to export on the same volume at lower prices ? Bptter importers regard the‘duty of 15s. per hundredweight, ; foreigp, t as likely to be of considerable assistance to the sales of Australian and New Zealand, as it is’expected to cause materi-

al reduction in Argentine, Danish and i Scandinavian imports, which is very es‘ sential in.view of the large prospective supplies of Australian and New Zealand, but these are so large that improvement in prices hardly seems probable.

BENEFITS TO THE DOMINION. DELEGATES TO RE congratulated. WELLINGTON; October 14. ‘While it'is; early/to say .just effect the Ottawa agreement will have on manufacturing industries, I think New Zealand "As*' a whole, .will be well * satisfied wit'll the results,' said Mr Campbell, President of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association. “'The delegates . should be congratulated oil the work dcn§. The preference grantfed to Dominion produce 'should be tff great imistaitce to primary producers, and insofar as it does this, it will be reflected in the gmeral prosperity cf the country ’Which all "will share.” He was "satisfied that New Zealand industries would be ‘ able to produce information that would convince an impartial tribunal they were efficiently conducted, and not in any why overprotected. The removal of the surtax would be a decided advantage to im-

porters, but the surtax had never been -i, regarded by manufacturers' as a measure of protection. There was a great danger that the increased trade would go not to Great Britain, but to Australia, and New Zealand manufacturers will urge very strongly an immediate investigation into customs arrangements between New Zealand and Australia. The percentage of British matrial required to qualify for preference should be increased to seventyfive. As far as one< could judge now, the arrangements should- noVcause the manufacturers any. uneasiness and should give, them greater■ confidence to go forward, and pursue a policy of developing well-balanced industries. ■

DOMINION AND BRITAIN, LONDON, October 14. * Mr Samuel Perth declared that/ the great fall in the. price! of sheep was due to the glut of Australian mutton, which Ottawa permitted 'to enter free, while Lancashire cotton afld' Yorkshire wool was 'heavily-taxed; im .the'Dominions. He added that he should like, without unfriendliness, to ask:,, “Why, if we admit Dominion agricultural products free, the Dominions should not admit British' manufactures free ?”

THE AGREEMENTS CONDEMNED BY INDIAN NATIONALIST PRESS. CALCUTTA, October 14. "T The Ottawa agreements are fiercely condemned by. the Nationalist papers as inquitious, unfair . and one-sided. XThey declare that if they pro approved they will sound the knell of the country’s fiscal antomony and industrial and economic iuJjirc ..development. The Calcutta “Statesman’’ says:— “It is certain* that here 'will be no general reduction in prices and ecsts from the agreements, and the Empire will be fortunate if there is not a general rise.” The Government of India has released the report of the Indian delegation to Ottawa and" the text of A the trade agreement “'with Elritain, which gives- complete freedom to- the new Government of Federal India, to determine 'its own fiscal policy, which has caused g eat satisfaction.

UNCERTAINTY IN ARGENTINE. BUENOS AIRES, October 14. It is understock that the powerful Rural Society has sent a message to A ,

the President requesting the immediate clarification of Argentina’s position in the face of the Ottawa agreements “which <nre most prejudicial to the Argentine.” Tiny stress the point that in 1931 Argentine exports to Britain were wrvtli 261,009,000 gold perns and British exports to the Argentina 1(U,000,060 noses. The society expressed the opinion tli.'t immediate steps towards an, Anglo,Argentine commercial rnpprrchment lm taken.