TARIFF ON BRITAIN’S FOOD

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1931, Page 7

TARIFF ON BRITAIN’S FOOD

WAS DOMINION UNANIMOUS?

MR. POLSON’S OPINIONS ON TRADE.

"TIME THE EMPIRE WOKE UP.”

(By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. He had been wondering what the Prime Minister had put before the Imperial Conference on some of the matters that had boon raised in the House, said air. W. J. Polson (Ind., Stratford) in the debate on Imperial affairs in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Polson did not think there was any unanimity in the house that New Zealand should ask for duties on all foodstuffs entering Britain. Why, then, •was such a proposal made by Mr. Forbes? Mr. Fopbes should have given the House more enlightenment as to the plan ho proposed and the ideas he expressed at the conference, so that the members! might know- just where they ■were on the question. It was obviously impossible to expect Great Britain to agree to a tax on foodstuffs entering the United Kingdom, said Mr. Polson. Even Joseph ■ Chamberlain had been compelled to repudiate the idea of a dearer loaf when he put forward his important principles years ago. The Prime Minister had stated the Imperial Conference was a failure oh the economic side. He should say whom he thought responsible for that, whether it, was due to the attitude of.the Imperial Government, or the Dominions. He might also have told the House the attjtude of the Imperial Government regarding the important quota plan discussed by the conference. There was more than an impression that the Ottawa conference was camouflage to cover up questions which could not he dealt with.

Marketing of the Dominion’s produce was a problem, said Mr. Polson, that would have to be tackled, for a better system of distribution was necessary. Porta other than London should be tried as centres for distributing the produce of. the Dominion. The Prime Minister should explain the cause of the postponement of the Ottawa Conference, and should take the House into his confidence.

Referring to bulk purchase, Mr. Polson said the farmers of New Zealand were willing to investigate matters, but they were not •’’■llling to give a blank cheque to the British Government, or anybody else, in connection with their produce. So far, no reasonable scheme had been put forward. Mr. M. J. Savage (Lab., Auckland West)“Didn't the British Government control bulk purchase successfully during the wart” Mr. Polson: “Yes, at enormous cost to the British nation.”

There whs a gobi deal 6f information they might have had regarding trade between various units of the Empire, said Mr. Polson. He agreed it was desirable that technical men should discuss these problems rather than politicians. It was time not Only that Britain woke ill an endeavour to increase trade, but also that the Dominions awoke. The United States was tackling the problem in a, systematic manner, and New Zealand should do the same.