BOYCOTT SPREADS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21893, 31 August 1934, Page 11

BOYCOTT SPREADS

LANCASHIRE ACTION GOODS FROM AUSTRALIA BOLTON GROCERS' CAMPAIGN COTTON DUTIES RESENTED By Telegraph—Press Associnlion—Copyright (Received August 30, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, August '29 The Bolton District Grocers and Provision Dealers' Association, at a special mooting, resolved that the association, which represents 200 retail grocers, pledges itself to refuse to stock or distribute Australian produce until the tariff increases on Lancashire cotton goods are withdrawn. Bills are to be printed and distributed among shopkeepers urging the public not to buy Australian goods. It is intended to placard the whole of'the north of England appealing for support of tho boycott. Tho boycott movement is gaining strength daily, and unless there is an unexpected development in a few days it is expected that wholesale dealers will join the retailers in the movement. Tho Financial News says the Lancashire boycott movement is in no way encouraged by the leaders of the cotton trade. Their attitude is to await developments as regards the duties. TALK OF REPRISALS AVOIDANCE DESIRED BRITISH PRESS COMMENT LONDON. August 23 The British Government will make direct representations to the Commonwealth Government regarding the Lancashire protest against the cotton duties through its representative at Canberra, Mr. E. T. Crutchley. It is understood that tho British Government shares Mr. S. M. Bruce's perturbation concerning the outcome of reprisals for the proposed boycott. "Conversations between England and Australia should reduce to its true proportions the indignation at Australia's cotton duties," says the Scotsman, in a leading article. It adds: " The threatened boycott would serve little useful purpose and would be bound to create a feeling which it is desirable to avoid. It is unfortunate to have the protest at election time, when Australian Ministers probably lack the time and temper to make any adjustment." "Mr. Bruce's reply to the Lancashire deputation was an ingenious evasion of the main issue, which is simply whether the Commonwealth has not broken its Ottawa pledge," says tho Manchester Guardian. ' " Mr. Bruce's defence was that an independent Tariff Board had recommended the duties. This assumes that the Government has surrendered tariffmaking to an independent body, but the curious fact is that many of the board's recommendations in the last 12 months, including recommendations for reductions, have not yet been implemented, while those adopted have mainly been recommendations of increases.

" The board, for an impartial body, seems to do pretty well for the'*Australian manufacturers."