DAIRY PRODUCE RESTRICTIONS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 223, 19 April 1933, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCE RESTRICTIONS

Spirited Rewly to Politician

NEW ZEALAND'S SIDE OF I HE STORY

f A spirited reply to an English politician -who criticised New Zealand's attitude r over restrictions of exports to Britain •was contained in a letter from Mr. H. T B. Drew, of New Zealand House, the Strand, London, published in the Oldham Everting Chronicle on March 2. Mr. • Drew quoted facts and figures deserving Of the most serious consideration. "Even though his speech was a political one," stated Mr. Drew, "Mr. Edward Baker should not have been as unfair as he was in his references to New Zealand in his speech at a meeting of the Oldham Liberals last week. He said: 'Look at the plight of the British farmer! New Zealand ... had said, 'Now for it, let us flood the English market.' The British farmer had got it in the neck more (ban anyone else within the past 12 months as the result of the Ottawa I tariffs.' "This is very unfair to the New Zealand farmer. The latter has been having a much worse time than the Ed dish farmer! He has built up his market in this country and sells his butter, lamb and cheese almost exclusively here. Is that wrong? Had ho looked to European. m <©r American, or Eastern markets, would he not have had to buy from those f: countries? Had he. done so there would I have been no preferences of 25 per cent, for British manufactures as there are to{ll day on almost all New Zealand purchases 1 ■ • fiom foreign .Countries, with free entry 1P for almost all British manufactures—cerI , tainly of those that go there from LancaP shire. , , II "Mr. Baker smiles, and says: Yes, but '' New Zealand's purchases do not really I ' count, she has such a small populationj| one and a-half millions.' New Zealand may have a small population but if he •■■ looks up his Board of Trade returns he will see that New, Zealand purchased j" more British manufactures last year than j Denmark, Russia, China, Japan, Italy, I Belgium, nearly as much as Germany and I Holland, and as much as Argentina! All j these are. countries with many times :i New Zealand's population. Is not the f New Zealand farmer worthy of some | consideration here, especially in a manufacturing area, if he buys so much from I Britain? I "I said the New Zealand fanner was H having a bad time. His butter is selling V : as low as lOd a pound and his cheese II at 6d a pound. British butter is bringing Is 8d a pound, and cheese over a shilling, 1 and yet the New Zealand farmer's land is higher priced, his labour is dearer and 1 .he is 13,000 miles from this market. Why ', he is sending over more than ever is in i an endeavour to make quantity of outi,; put balance the lowness of the prices he I receives. He does not desire to supplant I home produce- He asks only that his produce should be bought here in preference to foreign. "I ask Mr. Baker how much British butter he buys at the price at which it stands, how much British cheese, and how much English lamb? "There is this point also to rem ber that the New Zealand farmer ;?y~ as heavy overhead charges in the shape o: war taxes-as the Ei«?lish farmer. How much 'oes the Di nish or Russian or Argentine farmer pay in this way? Nothing. "Mr. Baker cannot have it bot' ways. If the New Zealand farmer has to look to other countries, to buy his p duce he has to expect o sell to those ccuni'ies. To-day almost the whole or e r ery pedud <§j sterling the New Zealand farmer Jakes P,for his pr-•''- . here he pays back for RSjj manufactu:;.3s, or interest on the money he has' borrowed for British machinery I : and other development equipment in the

m .past. To-day, English housewives are ■ paying 3d and 4d a pound more for ".-Danish and the Dane does not ' % spend anything like as much with England in return as the New Zealander. > The British Medical Research Council f has declared that New Zealand butter is of the highest quality, and at this time of the year probably contains greater food value than that of Northern hemispheres. There is plenty of room for New Zealand produce here if foreign purchases are"*- cut out, and plenty of room for English produce, too."