BRITAIN AND QUOTAS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22005, 11 January 1935, Page 13

BRITAIN AND QUOTAS

Sir, —Recent news of the Anglo-Irish agreement must be extremely interesting to "Imperialist," who claims that it would be fatal to our interests to make a stand against the imposition of a quota by Britain upon members of the British Empire, because by doing so we might lose Britain's goodAvill. The news is not likely to lessen Australia's opposition, as it appears as if great pressure had been put upon Australia and New Zealand to accept a voluntary quota in order to make room for Irish meat. Now, it is not necessary to specify the- many things Ireland has done or js doing in order to keep the goodwill of Britain. No Dominion could do more to lose it if it tried. But what an astute bargainer Mr. de Valcra is. Take trade away and then you have something to bargain with. Tariffs ha v.} certainly not been raised by us against Britain. They have been reduced and some have been taken off, but not nearly to the degree farmers would have wished, and very much heavier tariffs have been put on foreign goods to give Britain a heavy preference. We shall find that Australia has not fallen into any trap. Had we stood by them, no compulsory quota would have been enforced and she may save New Zealand by her resolute stand yet. Evidently tiie people who so complacently accept, for the first time in history, the imposition of quotas b.v Britain on her Dominions are not affected financially, and do not see the deadly danger of the quota on our farming industry, especially to a young country. It means ruin to hundreds who are now making a start on new farms with a low production. We have never put a quota on British goods and it, would he preferable for the New Zealand farmer to accept a tariff by Britain on his produce on the same lines as our tariff on British goods, a small duty on our produce and a very much heavier one on foreign produce. What confidence can we have, with the danger of quotas on any of our produce at anv time. Britain is' still a democracy, and there is a strong party working for us if we will only try to help ourselves. J. E. Lkeson, Chairman, Morrinsville Dairy Co.