QUOTA IMPOSTS

Southland Times, Issue 22073, 21 July 1933, Page 8

QUOTA IMPOSTS

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

OPPOSITION TO AGITATION.

Determined resistance to attempts on the, part of the farmers of Great Britain to impose quotas on the importation of dairy produce from New Zealand was urged by Mr F. R. Picot, of the firm of Picot Bros., Limited, Wellington, and a vice-president of the newlyformed New Zealand Producers and United Kingdom Manufacturers’ Reciprocal Trade Federation, in addressing the shareholders at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Co-opera-tive Poultry Producers, Limited, on Wednesday evening. Mr Picot said that he was one of those New Zealanders who felt that to a certain extent the Dominion had turned the corner and there were definitely better times ahead. There was something in the atmosphere that indicated that better days were here, and there was not that fear in the community which was formerly so pronounced. A short time ago those in jobs were afraid of losing them and consequently were not prepared to spend freely, but now they had a feeling of greater security and were prepared to spend their little surpluses to good advantage. That was all to the good of New Zealand. It could be seen in the sales of foodstuffs, which were decidedly better than they were some time ago and that was a good gaug.e of the general outlook. Wool prices were higher and butter prices had definitely shown some slight improvement, and farm produce the world over- was in a position that encouraged him to say that the world was not in quite such a black atmosphere as it had been. During the past few days, he continued, there had been a tremendous amount of talk of quota. Strong influences were being brought to bear with the object of imposing a quota on the importation of New Zealand dairy produce into Great Britain. He did not think it was right that that should be the case, but it was largely the farmers of Great Britain who were bringing influence to bear on Major Elliot, the British Minister of Agriculture, with the idea of having the quota imposed. “We must not have the quota in New Zealand,” said Mr Picot, “if it is possible to avoid it. All that we ask at present is the fulfilment of the Ottawa Agreement. We should ask the Mother Country to carry it out and see that we do the same ourselves. If we are strong enough we can say that from the national point of view we can’t take the quota but that we are going to do the fair thing by Mother England. Once we get over this difficulty I believe that the problem will automatically solve itself.” Mr Picot said that he could not see that there was any surplus of butter, but if the Old Country was going to cut down imports it should restrict foreign products and take what New Zealand had to offer. A large amount of educational work was required so as to put the case of the Dominion forcibly and to demonstrate that this country would not tolerate quotas. He asked why there should be talk of cutting down imports into Great Britain of butter which was God-sent produce, while there were millions of people in England who rarely tasted it. The agitation for quotas came at a time when those people were getting ready to buy butter. The repercussions of the quota would be automatic and would lead to a world shortage of butter. Therefore it should be the interest of everyone to maintain the backbone and stability of the farmers and see that they were assured of the sale of their produce. The economic difficulties, he felt sure, would adjust themselves, and the people could look forward to times of prosperity again. New Zealand’s prosperity undoubtedly began with the farming community, and if the farmers were prosperous every class of production would go ahead. It was wrong economics and he would say it was wrong morally, to think of destroying production when thousands of people were cryout for it. Prosperity for the New Zealand dairy producers would automatically bring with it prosperous times for the egg producers.