OTTAWA AGREEMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21325, 28 October 1932, Page 11

OTTAWA AGREEMENTS

BILL BEFORE COMMONS SECOND READING DEBATE MORE LABOUR OPPOSITION I By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright j LONDON. Oct. 26 Jn moving the second reading of the; Ottawa Agreements Bill in the House of Commons to-day, Mr. J. H. Thomas, Dominions Secretary, said the argument of the Opposition that nothing was done by the agreements to ease the unemployment situation was answered in the steel industry indirectly, arid in the coal trade directly. Mr. Thomas asked the Labour Party to consider the future position of unemployment unless the Dominions were placed in a position to deal with the problem of migration. If they were able to welcome hundreds of thousands of British people every year, something would be done to mitigate the unemployment problem. The British delegates to Ottawa had agreed to a scheme of meat restriction as a means of increasing the wholesale prices. Unless there was such increase there was no possible hope for the producers. Regarding the denounced agreement with Russia, the British delegates had undertaken that, if any nation, by any particular action, prevented the value of preference being enjoyed by the .Dominions, the necessary steps would be taken to give effect to the intentions of the British Government. The Minister said he deplored the fact that the Irish Free State, by her own action, was depriving herself of the benefits of the Ottawa agreements, and he expressed the Government's hope that this would be only temporary. Mr. W. Lunn (Labour —Rothwell, Yorkshire), moved the rejection of the bill oil the ground that it increased the burden of indirect taxation and would do nothing to solve unemployment. The agreements would not give work to a single man, he said, but they had strangled the World Economic Conference beforehand. " Whereas international co-operation is required," said Mr. Lunn, " we are setting out on an economic war which might load to a blood feud that would destroy civilisation." Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister,' Colonial Secretary, said the reasons for the satisfaction of the Colonies with Ottawa was that hitherto they' had received preferences only from Britain, Canada and New Zealand, but now Australia, South Africa, Newfoundland, India and Southern Rhodesia would also give them preferences. The Colonies would reciprocate by giving preferences to all Empire goods. Mr. H. Holdsworth (Liberal —Bradford South) sa'd nobody in the woollen industry expected increased trade from the Ottawa agreements. Canada had given Bradford a five-foot wall to jump instead of a wall as high as a house. She could jump neither. The Canadian tariffs were absolutely prohibitive. The Trades Union Council has passed a resolution opposing the Ottawa agreements.

DISCUSSION BY PEEKS LABOUR AND CONFERENCE " A SUPREME FAILURE" LONDON. Oct. -26 In the House of Lords to day attention was drawn to the Ottawa Conference by Lord Arnold (Labour), who described it as a supreme failure owing to Canada's refusal to agree to the progressive liberation of trade within the Empire.. A complete, breakdown was only avoided, he asserted, by Britain accepting incredibly unfair and lop-sided provisions. Viscount Elibank said that Lord Arnold had failed to awake to the new era. " Free trade as we know it is fortunately dead," he said. " Future issues only concern high and low tariffs and preferences." Lord Beaverbrook said there were no sacrifices about the Ottawa agreements. They would, benefit the people of Britain and those of the Dominions. He regretted that the-agreements did not go further in the direction of free trade within the Empire, an ideal which he \-as sure would ultimately be realised. He strongly favoured a duty on foreign meat. Viscount Hailsharn, Secretary of State for War, in replying, said that Ottawa did not build an edifice but merely laid foundations which would result in l.ttter trade within the Empire.

HOW IRELAND FARES DAIRY PRODUCE DUTIES "PREPARED FOR THE WORST" LONDON, OH. 2(5 It was explained authoritatively this evening that though the new Ottawa duties will not be levied on Irish Free State goods, tbey will be subjected from November 15 to a flat rate of 10 per cent under the Import Duties Act. This will be additional to the 20 per cent special duties charged on some gocds to recover the retained land annuities. Thus butter, which concerns Australia and New Zealand most, and other dairy products will be liable to duties aggregating 7>o per cent. Freo State Ministers refuse to comment on the situation. Other supporters of Mr. de Yalera in the Dail declare that they are not the least surprised. They say they arc prepared for the worst.

WORLD COMMERCE

ROAD TO RECOVERY OTTAWA AN ASSISTANCE British Wireless "RUGBY, Oct,. C 6 Referring to the argument adduced during the debate on the Ottawa Confererence that the tariff agreements framed there between the nations of the British Empire might impede the conclusion of more general treaties for the restoration of world trade, the Times says: "The common-sense view is that nothing will ever bo done to revive trade if it is to wait upon world-wide agreement. * " A beginning had to be made and no better beginning could have been made than between the members of the British Commonwealth. They cannot, even if they would, be exclusive corporations, but a solid quarter of the population of the world can make a powerful contribution to the recovery of the whole."-