FRENCH TRADE REPRISALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23326, 20 April 1939, Page 10

FRENCH TRADE REPRISALS

Although French woolbuyers will continue to operate in New Zealand during the present season, now almost closed, a boycott threat for the future still hangs over the head of the Dominion sheepfarmer, an innocent victim of circumstances in the whole unhappy position. Earlier reports that French trade interests were actively concerned at the virtual extinction of New Zealand imports from their country are fully confirmed in the latest message from Dunedin, and, even if a retaliatory blow is to be withheld until later in the year, the situation is' made increasingly awkward by the fact that the French Government—not merely the French traders—is prepared to take action. Mr. Nash is, apparently adamant on the point that in order to conserve overseas funds the present restrictions on French imports must stand. Up to the present the Dominion has enjoyed an extremely favourable balanca of trade with France, roughly in thty proportion of £1,000,000 of exports to £200,000 of imports. Now these very pieagre imports have been cut—cut by a Government which preaches the trade gospel of buying to the full value of sales—and Franco not unnaturally resents the fact. It must be admitted, too, that if argument arises France has immeasurably the stronger case. Mr. Nash may say that New Zealand importations of French goods consist almost entirely of luxury lines, but against that the French Minister of Commerce can reply that in the main the goods are of a type that cannot be produced in New Zealand. If Mr. Nash persists in his attitude, the result will be the loss to the Dominion of wool sales equivalent in value to the full season's production from the Auckland Province., The sheepfarmer is already complaining with justification about the difficulties under which he is labouring, and it will be inexcusable if these difficulties are accentuated by lack of elasticity in the Government's scheme of trade control,.