CANADA’S IMPORTS

Southland Times, Issue 20792, 5 June 1929, Page 5

CANADA’S IMPORTS

AUSTRALIAN TREATY FEELING AGAINST NEW ZEALAND DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 8.40 p.m.) Ottawa, Juno 3. Attacking the trade treaty with Australia and New Zealand in the House of Commons, Mr M. C. Senn (Conservative) insisted that the Canadian dairy industry had suffered severely because the agreement to the ruin of this industry was too high a price to pay for encouraging inter-Empire trade. He advocated that steps be taken to obtain better terms from both Australia and New Zealand. For the first time since the treaty was in operation the House of Commons heard the suggestion advanced that New Zealand might reasonably be dropped from the treaty. This was the suggestion of Mr Grote Stirling, Conservative member for the British Columbia constituency of Yale, one of the largest in the Dominion. “I strongly support the treaty,” he said. “It is of great benefit to Canada, but any trouble has been created by extending the same provisions to New Zealand, which is so extensively engaged in the dairy industry. Canada's dairy farmers are paying for the benefits of the treaty, and it Is up to the Government to consider New Zealand’s elimination.”

While there is no direct reply to Mr Stirling’s plea nor any resolution proposed by five speakers, two Ontario farmers opposed the treaty generally. The Minister of Finance, Mr J. A. Robb, and the Minister of Immigration, Mr R. Forke, supported the treaty. Mr Robb quoted figures to show that dairyman were getting higher prices now than ever before, and added that while butter is imported at 45 cents a pound the equivalent on the sale of milk is 52 cents a pound.—Australian Press Association—United Service.