NEW MARKETS WAITING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18580, 14 December 1934, Page 4

NEW MARKETS WAITING

AMERICAN POSSIBILITIES TRADE TREATIES URGED . GOVERNMENT INACTION (Special to the Herald.) NAPIER, this day. Strong criticism of tho Government for failing to take advantage of trade treaties for the expansion of our overseas markets was mad'e at a jjCfitijig of sheepowners here last. night Waring an address given by Mr. J. S. Jessep, Wairoa, vice-president of the New Zealand Sheepowners’ Federation. Mr. Jessep contended that disaster would overtake New 'Zealand’s pastoral industry if some efforts were not made to expand markets, and he referred' t,o America’s retreat from trade nationalism as an invitation in this direction.

“Political reasons,” he said, “have forced English politicians to protect British farming interests. Are we to wait until such necessity forces England to shut the door closer on Dominion and foreign farmers? I wish to emphasise with all the force I may, that we will have a bitter awakening when we realise that while our numerous boards have been advocating that wo should hang like crying children on the skirts of England, our com-, petitors have completed trade Which preclude our entry into mart kets which might have been available to New Zealand producers. MOST URGENT WORK.

“The most urgent w.ork before New Zealand, is to enter into negotiations for reciprocal trade treaties whenever there is a possibility of finding an outlet for any of our surplus products. “Tho matter is of sufficient importance to engage fully the energies of a Minister of the Or,own, and for him to be relieved for 12 months of all other duties.

“On August 11 last, I pointed out to sheepowners at Gisborne the real and imminent nature of the disaster which threatened New Zealand producers through the restriction of our English market, and the outstanding importance of negotiating trade treaties to open new markets. “Four -months have passed, during the greater portion of which Parliament was in session and dealing for the most part with matters which, while no doubt of some domestic importance, could have relatively trifling effect on the real prosperity of the Dominion. Proposals were formulated to ‘further investigate’ trade channels overseas, but no negotiations of importance have actually been opened up with foreign countries. “During this process of preparing to do something, an event of outstanding importance to New Zealand occurred in America. Two months ago the United •tates Secretary for State announced in unequivocal language the necessity of America’s retreat from trade nationalism.

OTHER DOMINIONS BUSY \ Jpv., “The greatest .potential additional consuming market in the world .for New Zealand’s primary produce is in America. These, two facts—the existence of that great market and the United States’ plain invitation to trade—together constitute a factor of the most profound, real and direct significance to New Zealand. But they appear to have been completely overlooked. There is no evidence that the Government has grasped the opportunity knocking so lbudly at New Zealand’s door. “Other Dominions have not been so slow to accept America’s invitation,, and to see generally to it that there is somewhere to sell their produce now' that the British market is no longer an unrestricted one. During the past four mouths, a trade treaty has been announced between Canada and France. A trade treaty has been announced between Australia and Belgium. There are indications that a trade arrangement has been made between South Africa and Germany in connection with wool, and one is foreshadowed between Australia and Germany. The Argentine has, ever since the first intimation by Great Britain that its imports were likely to be restricted, been negotiating with America.

“And what hqs New Zealand, which is more completely than any of them dependent on an unrestricted market, done to help itself out of its dilemma? It has been very busily erigaged' setting up machinery for still greater production. Certainly, we occasionally look up from our preoccupation with this pastime to prattle about ‘setting up a board to explore oversea markets.’ There is no need to ‘explore’ for a market. The market is there. Now, at once, to-day, America could absorb all the butter, cheese and meat we could send her. The only reason why she does not is that there is a tariff barrier against us. ■L_ THE CLOSED DOOR f

“Meat producers in the Dominion have a vital interest in discovering the reason for the Government’s inaction, and in moving it to action.

“It looks as if, by the time New Zealand wakes up to the dire necessity of finding alternative outlets, we shall find that prior treaties made by our more enterprising competitors have closed the door to New Zealand.

“It may interest North Island producers to know that whereas New Zealand boneless beef and bobby calves were for a time totally shut out, and then seriously restricted on the English market, Australia, because she had made a more liberal estimate of her probable shipments of meat, took advantage of the position and for the first time in history packed bobby calves, and incidentally shipped at better prices than previously to well-established New Zealand markets, in Great Britain, The same applied to boneless beef.”