THE CANADIAN TARIFF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 23

THE CANADIAN TARIFF.

DUTY ON NEW ZEALAND BUTTER

TAX NOT UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.

WELLINGTON, September 23.

.■ Interesting reference to the feeling in Canada regarding the duty on New Zealand butter was made by Mr A. M'Nicol, one of the New Zealand delegates to the Imperial Press Conference, who reached Wellington to-day by the Maunganui from Sydney.

At the time the New Zealand delegates were in Canada on their, way to the conference, said Mr M'Nicol, the Mackenzie King Government brought down its Budget with a tax on New Zealand butter, and those members of the party who represented North Island dairying districts felt impelled to express their views in newspaper interviews and in the public speeches they were called upon to make. They found a : considerable amount of sympathy among the public and. business community, particularly in Vancouver and other cities in the west, where New Zealand butter was a necessity in the winter. The general opinion was that the duty imposed was really the result of political activity on the part of a section of the farmers.

“We pointed out that retaliation must naturally follow from New Zealand,” said Mr M'Nicol, “ and this was feared by the exporters of newsprint and the manufacturers of other Canadian products imported by New Zealand. I am pleased to see that the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) has emphasised the position as it was made plain by- some of our party while we~ were in Canada. We felt somewhat diffident, as we were accepting such unbounded hospitality, in striking a note that affected the internal politics of the country, but we considered that we were in duty bound to do it in the •interests of this country. The position was so serious that some of us felt we. could not hold our tongues about it. The present attitude of retaliatory measures is just what we felt at the time must develop, and .for that reason we issued a warning note/’ ; ■