The Northern Advocate Daily THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1935. MEAT RESTRICTIONS

Northern Advocate, 27 June 1935, Page 6

The Northern Advocate Daily

THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1935. MEAT RESTRICTIONS

Registered for transmission, through the post as a Newspaper.

The complexity of the problem confronting Britain and the overseas Dominions, when considering .the question of meat export restrictions is revealed in a pamphlet issued by ' the Intelligence Branch of the Imperial Economic Committee, which has absorbed the Empire Marketing Board. The board, it will be remembered, adopted the useful-practice of issuing quarterly reports upon the progress of all matters affecting marketing. The pamphlet which came to hand this week summarises the information available in relation to the • production and disposal of meat. It is shown that the British Government has sealed down- the imports from foreign countries in order to place Empire producers in a more favourable position. This, it is pointed put, has been done by Britain in the face of a realisation that she needs foreign customers for her manufactures, and that foreign customers can buy only in so far as they can sell to Britain. Under the Ottawa Agreement, imports *of mutton and lamb from foreign sources -were to be subjected to reductions which, by the AprilJune quarter of 1934, would bring them to a quantity 35 per cent, less than for the same period in 1932. That arrangement continues. Empire supplies were not regulated except that for the first quarter of 1935, Australia and New Zealand exports were to be stabilised at 450,000 cwt ancl 800,000 cwt respectively. So far as pigs were concerned, it was agreed that there should be voluntary restriction of shipments of hams and bacon from foreign countries. This operated as from 1932, but as Empire imports increased, further restrictions were placed on hams and salted pork from foreign countries, while imports of fresh pork were halved as compared with the figures for the previous year. The pamphlet goes on to discuss the meat situation as affecting exporting countries generally. These countries are few in number. The largos!: exporter of beef is Argentina. It is followed by Australia, which, however, would rank third if the Irish Free State’s equivalent in exports of live cattle is taken into consideration. New Zealand heads the list oC mutton and lamb exporting countries, with Australia second, followed by Argentina. The largest supplier of pigs is Denmark. So far as alternative markets for meat exports are concerned, the pamphlet does not give much comfort to producers in the Dominions. It is pointed out that France imposes, import duties and quantitative restrictions, plus a surtax of 15 per cent, for countries such as New Zealand, Australia and South Africa which have depreciated currencies. Germany imposes dut-j ies and an import tax of 2 per! cent., but, though she opens herj doors to unrestricted imports, j she nullifies that free entrance i by insisting that carcases of beef, | mull on, lamb and pigs must be • whole and have the various or- 1 gans attached. That, of course, j makes the German market a elos-j ed one to New Zealand. In Bel-1 gium. a sales tax and quantitative j restrictions are imposed, while Italy, in addition to general re- J strictions on imports, provides j for duties and a surtax on pigs. 1 The Fast may or may not pro- j vide a market for New Zealand j mutton and lamb: this has yeti

to be demonstrated.' It is therefore plain that, to all intents and purposes, Britain is tbc only customer upon whom the Dominions can depend for the consumption of their meat exports. Britain has intimated very pointedly that she cannot allow overseas producers to ruin her home producers, as would result from unrestricted imports of overseas meat. As an alternative to restricting imports she proposes to make a levy on such imports, the revenue derived therefrom to be devoted to compensation for Home fanners for loss sustained through overseas . competition. The Dominions have agreed that Britain should put the interests of her own farmers before those of overseas farmers, the only stipulation being that foreigners’ interests • should be regarded as subsidiary to those of the Dominiuons. It is the observance of these conditions that constitutes the crux of the meat problem with which Britain is confronted at the moment.