PRODUCE IMPORTS

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1933, Page 5

PRODUCE IMPORTS

■' BRITISH LIMITS. aV'v -J&’-.r . : . / STRONG PRESSURE EXERCISED dairy supplies considered. FREE STATE REJOINDER. ■ .* * (United Press Association—py Elect no / ’■> Telegraph.—Copyright) (Received 9 a.m.) ; y ; LONDON, July 12. : General approval is accorded by most sections of-, ihe Press to Major Elliot ’s speech in the House of Commons. This is a clear indication of the strength of ’ the movement behind the quota proposals in cases, where it can be shown, as the Minister sought to do yesterday, that application of the principle is necessary to,raise the prices of British produce* - Also it is increasingly obvious that • very powerful - ’political influence is o.t work to bring about a limitation of import! as the. beat tvay to help the Homo ’ faita'ets.: '• j ■ • The Minister of Agriculture at present dairy prodr.ce, in regard to, which lie has declared that stable conditions in British dairying ‘ can .only be reached if overseas supplies are regulated. Also he has stated that there must be further limitations of the.iinpprfe of beef, -v :; < The Irish -Free State apparently is apprehensive, as a bill recently Svas introduced in the Dail at short notice dpsigned to meet the quota system in Britain.' yThis bill would give power to the Free Istate Minister of Agriculture to regulate the export of any agricultural products falling under import quotas in any country, so as to secure for the Free State exporters the maximum ben- . efit permitted by such a system p f control. /i ■ 1 ..

The latest development of the control system applies to fish. A provisional agreement has been arrived at between Britain and Germany for the regulation of fish supplies ,by German fishermen to the British market. ; x i FARMERS EXPRESS ALARM. • ;ifv 9 ■ 4 ' " pRiE . MARKET .ESSENTIAL. . (Per Press Association. —Copyright.) WELLINGTON* This Day. The quota cablegram received by the. Press of 'New Zealand was read today at the Earners/. Union.. Conference, which passed a resolution stating that the conference vigorously opposed any Governmental step in the direction of curtailing or restricting the export of primaryl produce by way of quota or otherwise. ' • The. conference considered any action in this direction inimical to the best in-, forests of the Dominion, and further stated that the' free and unrestricted ehtry of our products into the British market Was so vital to the prosperity of. the - that negotiations should be entered into .with the' British Government to ascertain on what- terras this privilege could be secured, and what concessions should be made with a view to obtaining it. v v The conference took the view that, in order to obviate any suggestion of quotas on New Zealand's primary products, the /Dominion should endeavour by every means to develop free trade With the Homeland, v

A committee was appointed to cable the Prime Minister, the Et. Hon. G. W. Forbes, setting oiit the farmers’ view-, point. ' , v '■ ■ CAUSE FOR REACTION. - INFLATED EXCHANGE. MR GOODFELLOW ’S OPINION, (Special to "Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day. “It is my emphatic opinion, despite everything that has been said to the contrary, that the attitude of the British Government in regard to restricting the exports from the Dominion is a natural result of the failure of both New Zealand and Australia to carry out the Ottawa Agreement,” said Mr William Goodfellow, managing director of Amalgamated" Dairies, Ltd., in an inter-

> view. • Mr Uoodfellow said that the United Kingdom farmer was strongly of opinion that by exchange inflation existing competition was very unfair, and that both Australia and. New Zealand were in reality dumping produce into the United Kingdom. Inflation of the exchange, without making a similar reduction, had caused both the farmer and the manufacturer of Great Britain to develop a real grievance. The maintenance of a free market in the United Kingdom for New Zealand's produce was a matter of supreme importance to the whole population of the Dominion, Mr Goodfellow continued. Accordingly, the Prime Minister should be requested at once to find out from the British Government what tariff and exchange adjustments were required to retain a free market for New Zealand produce and comply with the Ottawa Agreement. The meat quota had been a great help to?the United Kingdom farmers, who produce 50 per cent of the beef consumed, in addition to large quantities of both mutton and lamb. A butter quota, however, would be of little value, because the British farmer sold his

milk mainly for town supply; and doubtless that was the main reason wh>‘ a quota restricting foreign butter was refused at Ottawa. The London dairy produce market, in Mr Goodfellow’s opinion, had already seen the lowest prices, and next season, with a smaller production of butter, and less produce available for export from other countries, we would see a gradual improvement in price, due mainly to the rise in the value of both wheat and wool

LESS PRODUCTION. EFFECT OF QUOTA. NO NEW MARKETS IN SIGHT. * (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day. Mr W. Grounds, in the course of a statement opposing the dairy quota, said that beyond a doubt the quota meant reduced production. There was no other market in sight for New Zealand's surplus production, in spile of the recent vague intimations to the contrary. If the weather were favourable next season, he could not estimate what would be the continued growth in output. The decreased use of fertilisers might reduce the output in the more settled areas, but not in the outlying districts.