MAY BE LIFTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23284, 1 March 1939, Page 12

MAY BE LIFTED

POTATO EMBARGO I i. AUSTRALIAN CABINET * TEMPORARY EXPEDIENT ADOPTION POSSIBLE By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright SYDNEY, Fob. 28 Unless there is an immediate and substantial fall in the price of Australian-grown potatoes, .it is practically certain that the Federal Cabinet will decide to lift the embargo on the importation of New Zealand potatoes within the next two weeks, says the Sydney Morning Herald. After tko Cabinet had discussed tho proposal yesterday, it was revealed that a tentative plan to raise the embargo, under conditions which would reasonably safeguard Tasmanian growers, had been prepared. The Cabinet has not adopted this plan, but tho discussion made it clear that tho majority of tho Ministers support it. The plan, prepared, it is understood, would admit a quota of New Zealand potatoes sufficient to meet all shortages of local supply, as long as the Australian price remains above a level to be fixed, probably somewhere between £ls and £2O per ton.

me concession will operate purely as a temporary emergency measure and the ban will be reimposed as soon as inatralian supplies become normal.

The Federal Cabinet to-day will hear representations of the Housewives' Association for the removal of the embargo. It is understood that the Cabinet will make no announcement on the subject until the potato section of the Australian Agricultural Council has had an opportunity of placing the producers' case before the Government.

NO OFFICIAL NEWS DOMINION GOVERNMENT MR. SAVAGE'S HOPES BETTER TRADE RELATIONS [BY TELEGRAPH —•PREjSB ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Tuesday No official information of the proposed temporary removal of the embargo on the importation of New Zealand potatoes into Australia had been received by the New Zealand Government up to the time the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, left his office at Parliament Buildings early this evening. "There seems to be something very indefinite about it," said Mr. Savage, when his attention was drawn to the cable message from Sydney containing the newspaper forecast of the Federal Cabinet's proposal. "I was living in hopes of the time when we would see something; definite and lasting in trading relations between Australia and •New Zealand."