AUSTRALIA’S INTEREST IN N.Z. DAIRYING

Northern Advocate, 8 January 1938, Page 4

AUSTRALIA’S INTEREST IN N.Z. DAIRYING

[Special To “Northern Advocate ”] AUCKLAND, This Day. Intense interest in New Zealand farming conditions was stated by the New South Wales Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. H. Main, to have been shown of late by Australian farmers. “To some extent we are your competitors—l think I can fairly say friendly competitors—and we are the first to admit that we learned valuable lessons from your farmers in the development of our dairying industry,” said Mr Main. Australia’s Scheme Satisfactory. He declined to discuss guaranteed price schemes for New Zealand dairy products, but declared that Australia’s price control scheme seemed to be entirely satisfactory to Australian producers. It was a development of the Paterson bounty scheme, based on a fixed price for the internal market, which generally meant that over a season’s production the farmer obtained more than the overseas price. Regarding reciprocal marketing for New Zealand potatoes and Australian oranges, Mr Main stated that if some satisfactory arrangements could be made concerning New Zealand potatoes, the way might be open for Australia to send more citrus fruit to the Dominion. Will Call on P.M. At present, he said, Australian orange exports were determined by the New Zealand quota, but a regular market would be a great advantage. Mr Main is a passenger on the tourist liner Otranto which arrived in Auckland from Brisbane yesterday. He will call on the Prime Minister, the Hon. M. J, Savage, and other Cabinet Ministers when, in Wellington on Monday.