TRADE OF CANADA.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1925, Page 11

TRADE OF CANADA.

TREATY WITH AUSTRALIA. MORE INFORMATION SOUGHT. GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. By Telegra.jxh.—Press Ass=n.—Copyright. Received June 12, 9.35 p.m. Ottawa, June 11. Attempts by members of both the Conservative and the Progressive Parties in the House of Commons to-day to secure information relative to the Australian reciprocal trade treaty resulted in little except a statement by the Hon. J. A. Robb (Minister for Trade and Commerce) that certain trade interests, both in Australia and on the continent of America, were doing their best to create divisions and prevent the treaty being consummated. Mr. Caldwell (Progressive) said New Brunswick business interests complained that their business was dragging owing to uncertainty over the treaty, the consummation of which would be very advantageous to fish canners, for example. He urged the Government to take power to complete the treaty as soon as the negotiations were finished, even if the House were not assembled.

Mr. Arthur Meighan (Leader of the Opposition) said -that apparently everyone in the United States, Australia and elsewhere knew and was permitted to say what they liked about the treaty, but in the Parliament of Canada, the members were not even allowed to know what Mr. Robb’s attitude was towards the 75 per cent, clause. He urged Mr. Robb to say what was holding the treaty up. After Mr. Robib’s statement as above Mr. Caldwell repudiated the suggestion that members of the, Canadian Manufacturers Association or the Progressives were opposing the treaty. How could they when they did not know what was in it?