DAIRY EXPORTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22197, 26 August 1935, Page 13

DAIRY EXPORTS

POLICY OF BRITAIN TARIFF OR REGULATION QUESTION BEFORE INDUSTRY CONSULTATIONS BY MARCH "There is. nothing to worry about until March," said the Minister of Finance, Mr. Coates, at the week-end, when referring to the future marketing of New Zealand dairy produce in Britain in the light of the pending expiration of rights under the Ottawa Agreement. Mr. Coates made it clear, nevertheless, that in the meantime New Zealand would have to give thought to the matter of seeing how practicable it would be to come to some long-standing arrangement. The position as it stood, said Mr. Coates, was that Britain had the legal right after November 15 to impose, by Treasury order, a tariff on imports of Empire dairy produce, while maintaining the margin of the existing preference over foreign imports. The British Government understood the New Zealand viewpoint, however, and as a result of discussions which had taken place it would not issue the necessary order until the matter had been raised at specific consultations. Those consultations were to be held by next March. It did not necessarily follow that a Government representative would have to go to London to attend these consultations, said Mr. Coates, although the position might lead to that. Perhaps the negotiations could be conducted by cablegram, with personal contact maintained in London by the High Commissioner and tho London manager of the Dairy Produce Board. The dairy industry, therefore, said Mr. Coates, would now have to think over tho matter of whether it would be better to have some form of regulation of supplies, or a tariff. He was unable to say what that tariff would be, except that the present preferences over foreign supplies would be retained. Mr. Coates added that his observations in England indicated that Danish butter still found its market in certain areas where it had been entrenched for many years. However, New Zealand butter was looked upon as an excellent product, and people expressed themselves as very pleased with it. The development of the market was "pushing along quietly."