GLUTTED MARKETS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 256, 26 September 1935, Page 7

GLUTTED MARKETS

SEARCH FOR SOLUTION. DISCUSSION AT GENEVA. EFFORTS FOR UNANIMITY. \ (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.-—Copyright.) Received September 26, 9.55 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 25. The Associated Press Geneva correspondent states that Lord De La Warr submitted to the League Economic Committee Mr S. M. Bruce’s resolution regarding food distribution, redrafted to meet the demands of_ France and Italy for consultation with the International Labour Office and the International Institute of Agriculture Mr McDougall. on behalf of Mr Bruce, opposed the attempt by Spain and other countries at an extension to include the examination of tariff barriers to exporters of primary produce on the ground of the danger of handicapping the investigation by undue widening of its scope. Lord De La Warr is consulting the Spanish delegates and others. His view is the redrafting of the resolution to obtain a unanimous vote.

A later message says the Spanish project will be met by slightly enlarging the scope of Mr Bruce’s resolution, which the committee unanimously recommended to the Assembly.. The resolution urges the Governments to examine practical means of securing better nutrition and requests the Council to extend the work of the League’s health organisation on nutrition in relation to public health. ECONOMIST’S VIEW. Mr Hytten, the Australian economist, left for London to-night. He will spend a month in America completing an investigation on behalf of the Bank of New South Wales, before leaving for Sydney in the Maunganui on November 20.

Mr Hytten is of the opinion that the debate in the Assembly’s Economic Committee, beginning with Mr Bruce’s nutrition proposals, is developing into general consideration of world trade and monetary matters, one of the most important mternationl discussions for a long time.

The relations of two problems—widespread deficient national standards on the one hand and surplus food products, or actual restriction of their production, on the other—which were raised by Mr S. M. Bruce in the general debate in the League Assembly have been taken up by the second of tho Assembly’s commissions at Geneva. The British delegate (Lord De La Warr) fully supported the suggestion put forward by Mr Bruce that the paradox of a glutted market and hungry people was a problem for statesmanship. Sir James Parr (New Zealand) said the problem was one of bringing the superabundant produce of the world’s farms to the mouths of those who had no money with which to buy. Notwithstanding that New Zealand was one of the world’s largest exporters of foodstuffs, her farmers were unable to make a decent living. Sir James confessed to some difficulty in urging the argument that the State should find the money. Nothing would suit New Zealand better than that the Governments of the consuming countries should find the funds with which to purchase our produce for the pov-erty-stricken, but he did not feel that he should ask for such a sacrifice.