DAIRY INDUSTRY’S NEEDS

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1930, Page 6

DAIRY INDUSTRY’S NEEDS

PRIME MINISTER’S VIEWS

CO-OPERATIVE ACTION. REQUIRED. SUGGESTED PREFERENCE DUTIES. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, December 4. Mr. G. W. Forbes,,New Zealand Prime Minister, has returned to London from Ireland. Interviewed -regarding the dairy interests’ suggestion of a moratorium, he stated that he recognised fully the serious position of dairy farmers, as well as of wool grow’ers. The low prices of their products was bound to cause much hardship, but he was confident that the mortgagees and financial institutions would recognise that it was in their own interests, as in that of the country, to help the producer to meet the position, with the result that no Government action would be necessary. New Zealand was passing through a crisis which- could be overcome only by the financial institutions, farmers and the whole country working together. If this were done he was confident that New Zealand would weather the present difficult position. Commodity prices were now at their lowest and the next movement must be upwards. Commenting on the Dairy Council’s request for a new appeal to Britain to tax foreign food and give preferences in response to lower New Zealand Customs duties, Mr. Forbes said that he had already fully presented the preference case at the Imperial Conference, and the British Government had given a definite and final ' answer against the taxation of foreign food. ’No good purpose would be served by an attempt to reopen the subject before the conference at Ottawa. Mr. and Mrs. Forbes and Sir Thomas and Lady Sidey will join a party which is going to France on December 6.