Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1932. THE MEAT TRADE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 143, 19 May 1932, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1932. THE MEAT TRADE.

Though the House of Commons has given the Import Duties Advisory Committee power to recommend duties on foreign meat, the matter is being kept open until after the Ottawa Conference. There was sharp opposition to the proposal from Liberal and Labour members of the House, who desire to see meat, as well as wheat, placed permanently on the free list. This is a most important decision for Empire meat producers, for British people have extensive interests in the Argentine and to a lesser extent in Denmark. According to recent cablegrams from London, _ a scheme has been devised by British and Dominion producers to create an Empire monopoly. '< of the British meat market by means of tariff preferences. A manifesto, to ' which British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian interests, as well as importers at Smithheld and in the English provinces, have subscribed, suggests an Empire tariff of a pound on beef, mutton, lamb, pork, veal, bacon and hams; a full foreign tariff of lAd a pound on all these lines except lamb, whereon the duty recommended is 2d a pound, and a preferential foreign tariff of Id for lamb and £d for the other meats enumerated. The yield estimated from the full tariff is £18,500,000 a year, but this would be reduced to £8,500,000 if all foreign countries took advantage of the preferential tariff. The scheme, it is also stated, provides that consumers shall not be exploited by sudden price increases, and it is claimed it will give the British farmer a steady " market, with priority for Empire producers. Power is reserved to the Government to restrict imports to meet the seasonal requirements of the Home markets. _ “The fact that British capital is invested, in the Argentine and other foreign countries does not justify the continuance of the existing onesided trading,” says the manifesto. “The scheme will endow Britain with a unique bargaining weapon.” The reply of British meat interests in the Argentine to the Empire proposal is to be seen in a message from Sir Edmund Vestey to members of the House of Commons. He argues that these interests “are in grave danger of being jeopardised at Ottawa,” and he expects the\ Conference to be “thronged with opportunist advocates” seeking to exploit British sentiment. He asks how many delegates will be “imbued 'with the determination” to prevent this and safeguard Britain’s export trade, as well as prices and quality to the British consumers. Great Britain’s meat trade is a matter of considerable interest at the moment to Home, Dominion and foreign producers. In a recent interview, Mr T. A. Duncan, vice-chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, says that if the agreement is confirmed at Ottawa, Empire meat producers will derive considerable benefit. An important point is the support of Home producers for the tariff scheme. Home killed supplies of all meats are reported to have _ fallen slightly since 1926, and imported meats, live, killed, and canned, have increased. Denmark supplies 31 per cent, and the Argentine 41 per cent, of these imports from

all sources. The production of meat is Great Britain’s biggest agricultural enterprise, and the Government has been urged to concentrate upon it rather than assist Home grain and sugar beet. The opinion has been expressed that dairying and live stock offer the most payable prospects for development in England. British farmers, therefore, are alive to s their interests, judging from the support given the tariff proposal. Nevertheless, there will be strong opposition from people interested in the Argentine and Danish meat trade. On a five yearly average foreigners sell £85,000,000 worth of meat annually to Great Britain, while £26,000,000 is the value of Empire grown taken by the Mother Country. It is obvious that a system of preferences must give a great fillip to the latter trade. But it cannot be achieved from sentiment alone. Business is to be talked at Ottawa, and the Dominion producers, it is , pleasing to note, are taking the matter up with the keenest interest to satisfy the demands that will be made upon them.