BEEF IMPORTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22372, 20 September 1934, Page 3

BEEF IMPORTS

RESTRICTION OF SUPPLIES THE LATEST CONFERENCE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 4. An official communique was issued from the Dominions Office after the conference on the meat question. At this there were present the Dominions Secretary, Minister of Agriculture, Lord Stanhope (Parliamentary Under-secretary for Foreign Affairs), the High Commissioners for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and the secretary of the office of the High Commissioner for Southern Rhodesia.

Each of the principal-members of the conference was attended by secretaries and experts. “ It was recognised,” says the official communique, “that during the period in which an exchequer subsidy is being paid to the United Kingdom producer of beef, the United Kingdom Government would desire to arrange for a programme of imports of meat into the United Kingdom in order that the value of the subsidy might not he depreciated by the effect on the market of excessive imports. It was arranged that the Governments concerned should exchange views and information as to the stops which would be necessary to effect this purpose.”

It is understood that it is the intention of the British Government to continue any arrangement which may bo entered into in respect to the six months’ period now under review until March 31, when the subsidy will expire. Under the Ottawa meat agreements free imports were guaranteed to the dominions until June 30 last on the understanding that frozen beef imports should not he allowed to rise greatly above the level of the standard year. It should here he said that Now Zealand was an offender and considerably increased the export of frozen beef during the last six months of the period. So far as the foreigner is concerned, the Ottawa agreements continue until 1937, but a new complication conies into the matter and that is the Argentine Trade Agreement. By this it was arranged that if a reduction of more than 10 per cent, of the Argentine chilled beef were required by the British Government, then the dominions should also have their imports of all meats reduced. Hence, so far as New Zealand and Australia are concerned ' the reduction is applicable to beef, mutton, lamb, and pork. This arrangement was made, it should be mentioned, between Mr W. Runciman (president of the Board of Trade) and the representatives of the Argentine. The representatives of the dominions were not consulted in the matter.

The attitude taken up by the dominions is that a reduction in mutton, lamb and pork is not going to have any effect on the price of British homokilled beef. Moreover, there is nothing to complain of in the price of mutton and lamb generally, including English mutton and lamb. Why penalise the dominions in this way, it is asked, when it will do no good to the British farmer? There are those, of course, who maintain that the reduction of mutton, lamb and pork from the dominions will have an effect on the prices of English beef, but whatever the truth the fact remains that the Board of Trade made the agreement with the Argentine, and it has to be kept. It is for this reason that advocates of inter-imperial trade in the House of Commons use uncomplimentary terms regarding this trade agreement with a foreign country. QUESTION OF LEVIES.

By the terms of both the Ottawa agreements and the Argentine trade agreement no levy can be made on imported meat. But it is understood that in duo course a permanent arrangement will be made whereby deficiency grants to British producers may be financed by a levy on imports. If in the meantime the imports of meat of all kinds from the dominions have to be cut down to the Ottawa basis, it will press very heavily on the New Zealand producers, owing to the fact that the Dominion has considerably increased her exports of meat since the Ottawa conference. Any limitations based on the Ottawa year will press more heavily on New Zealand than perhaps on any other country. Both beef and pork shipments have increased since Ottawa, and beef killings in New Zealand have doubled in' the last two seasons.

So far as the levy is concerned news from the United States prompts one to moralise. We road of thousands of beasts over normal supplies being sent to the abattoirs owing to the drought and the shortage of fodder. Again we remember that Australia has had five years of plenty. Much may happen in a year or two and it would not be surprising if in the year 1937 all thoughts of restrictions and levies had been forgotten, and the people of Europe were clamouring for the meat supplies of the southern hemisphere.