Farmers’ Chief Voices Apprehension

Northern Advocate, 12 January 1939, Page 8

Farmers’ Chief Voices Apprehension

[Special to “Northern Advocate”l CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.

Yesterday, when the North Canterbury executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union l was discussing, the import regulations, the Dominion president, Mr. W. ,W. Mulholland, stated: “I think the Government is acting in a very foolish manner in not stating what its policy is. “Its action is tending to create a serious position,” he said. “You will have noticed that it is being stated by British manufacturers and others that the new regulations are being used in a way contrary to the Ottawa agreement.

“At the moment the danger of some restriction of our exports to Britain is closer than it has ever been,” he continued.

Safeguard Threatened

The only safeguard against that which New Zealand farmers had was the British industrialist who sold goods in this country. The support of these men could be lost, not only by this country’s, actions but even from impressions of its actions they might gain because of the veil of secrecy about the actual policy. The present arrangement was even harmful to public morality. The suggestion m ight be made that certain favoured individuals might be getting what they should not get, and unless public access was given to the Government’s policy such stories! would gain credence. Lifting the present veil of secrecy would scotch such stories.