BUTTER AND CHEESE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21976, 10 June 1933, Page 3

BUTTER AND CHEESE

BRITISH FISCAL POLICY CENTURY-OLD PARALLEL. A parallel to the present competition of Empire and foreign butter and cheese on the English market and the Ottawa decision to discriminate by means of duties is provided by a parliamentary report in a copy of The Times of March 30, 1817, which has been received by m Auckland firm from its London office (says the New Zealand Herald). The chief concern 116 years ago was’apparently to protect Irish produce from Dutch competition, whereas to-day one of the chief problems, as far as New Zealand is concerned, is to secure protection from Danish competition. Speaking on a motion, instructing the committee on the butter trade to consider the laws respecting cheese, the Right Hon. Mr Robinson said he had already stated his objections to prohibitory duties, but he acquiesced in the views taken of the particular of Ireland, which demanded a protecting duty. All he had now to observe was as to the amount of the duty he should propose. He. meant to increase it to 20s on all foreign butter imported in British ships, and 25s on all imported in foreign vessels.

• Some might not consider the 25s duty high enough. Some gentlemen connected with the interests of Jreland might prefer 30s, while other persons interested in the Dutch trade would think 25s too high. Of the latter, some whom he had spoken to thought 10s sufficient. He had endeavoured to strike a just balance between these two opinions. After a motion on those lines had been carried, the argument was propounded that cheese should he placed on the same footing as butter. It was decided that a duty of 16s per hundredweight he placed on foreign cheeses imported in British ships and 20s on those imported in foreign ships. The protection given the dominions by Britain at Ottawa was to impose a duty of 15s per hundredweight on - foreign butter and 15 per cent, on foreign cheese, the Empire products being admitted duty free, ns previously.