THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1934. AN ABSURD POSITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22371, 19 September 1934, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1934. AN ABSURD POSITION

The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce has reaffirmed, as well it might, its desire to see a complete removal of the embargo on the. entry of Australian citrus fruits into this country. The situation that exists in respect of this matter is no less absurd than it is irritating to the people of this Dominion, who see oranges which are so plentiful and cheap in Australia retailed here at prices that are beyond the means of many of them. These prices reflect the relative scarcity of the fruit in this market, and the limitation of the supply is simply due to the embargo modified by the miserable system of rationing that obtains. It is impossible to regard with patience the attitude of the Australian and New Zealand Governments in this matter. There is something distinctly petty in ythe spectacle of these two neighbouring countries each excluding the other’s products in this way. The embargo in New Zealand is rightly or wrongly supposed to represent a retaliatory measure dictated by the refusal of Australia to admit New Zealand-grown potatoes. But a retaliatory .measure that is ineffective is clearly of no use at all. Its results merely recoil upon the party that adopts it. The I'ecoil. in this instance is upon those consumers of this country, who need citrus fruits with their health-giving properties, but cannot have them because the price is so high and the supply so inadequate. The Australian consumers, on the other hand, have to pay more for their potatoes than would be the case if the New Zealand product were admitted to their country. Their mood, therefore, is not likely to be one of thankfulness either. Of course, we find the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation Conference opposing, on very grave and solemn grounds, attempts to lift the embargo on Australian fruit, but the conference is not exactly in the position of an impartial witness. In the north of the Dominion, whence comes the local supply, such as it is, of oranges and lemons, a contemporary —-not a South Island contemporary, but an Auckland one —asks pertinently, “ Hovj much longer arc New Zealand and Australia to continue to keep their potatoes and their oranges in their pockets when they should be exchanging them 1 ” It can truly be said that the rationing of citrus fruit supplies to this Dominion is so feeble an expedient that, so far as the bulk of the population is affected, the embargo might just as well be complete. According to a recent statement by Mr Coates, the question of negotiations between the New Zealand and Australian Governments had to be postponed because of the Commonwealth elections. Now comes a cabled message from Sydney to the effect that the Federal Minister of Commerce has stated that a conference of representatives of the two Governments will be held shortly,most likely at Canberra. It is suggested in the same message that this will probably be attended by Mr Forbes, Mr Coates, and Mr Masters. That a delegation of this strength from the New Zealand Government will attend such

a conference has already been politely denied by the Prime Minister. It is | apparent, also, that a conference can- ; not take place “ shortly/’, since only a week ago Mr Forbes stated that he expected the parliamentary session to continue for at least two months. Meanwhile, the New Zealand public will have very good reason to continue to complain of the price of oranges, and to ask what good purpose on earth this boomerang of an ; embargo is supposed to serve. i