Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, 1933. QUOTA PROBLEMS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 252, 21 September 1933, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, SEPT. 21, 1933. QUOTA PROBLEMS.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, Mr Thomas Baxter, chairman of the British Milk Marketing' Board and the representative of the National Palmers’ Union, arrived in New Zealand to-day to discuss with farming- interests the proposals for quantitative restrictions upon the export of Dominion produce to the Mother Country. The question is a most vexed one, both for the British farmer and the New Zealand producer. During' their visit to London to attend the World Economic Conference Messrs Porbes and Masters had a number of earnest discussions with the British Minister for Agriculture (Major Elliot) on the subject. It was asked of the Dominion delegates that they should agree to a system of regulation which would also apply to foreign shippers. The position at the time was undoubtedly grave. Butter, for instance, was selling in the vicinity of 80s a cwt., and cheese was also low in value. Though meat and other products had been mentioned the real issue concerned dairy produce. As the Minister informed the House of Commons in July, the situation was causing grave anxiety to the Government and to the dairy producers. He pointed out that their reorganisation scheme could not succeed without some form of regulation, and the increased amount of butter placed on the British market, and, the pronounced fall in the price of Dominion butter, showed the desirability and necessity of dealing with the regulation of supplies from overseas, as they desired to deal with the supplies at Home, if stable dairy conditions were to be secured in Great Britain. The position had improved but little _ when the Minister met the Dominion delegates and urged the regulation of imports. The cables at the time told of the great fight of Messrs Porbes and Masters. The latter found a strong claim for the Dominion’s consideration in the goods it imported from the Mother Country. He took the figures of 1931, a low level, to show that of imports valued at £24,009,000, £12,000,000 worth came from Great Britain, worth from other parts of the Empire, with foreign countries supplying goods valued at £7,000,000. Another impressive claim for consideration was the disastrous effect on output that a quota implied. The difficulty in regard to butter led to an impasse and the discussion turned to cheese, the British Minister asking for restricted shipments—which because of New Zealand’s position in the British market meant that she would have to bear the brunt—to save the scheme of milk control. But the Dominion’s Ministers were able to point to the fact that the qiiantity of. cheese imported into Great Britain had not increased, and the low price could not be attributed to a glut. Another strong point was that restriction of output in cheese would tend to increase the quantity of butter manufactured. So as to preserve the £ood will existing between New Zealand and the. Mother Country, Mr Porbes extended the invitation which has been accepted by Mr Baxter. He will state the case for the British farmer and his exposition of their problems should not be without considerable interest for New Zealand producers. It will let light in on both sides. But agreement with the request for quantitative restrictions is another matter, one which has been plainly shown to be unpalatable and unsuitable to this country. It is most pleasing, therefore, that since the conversations took place in London the situation on the dairy produce market there has shown a marked improvement.