EMPIRE’S TRADE FUTURE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1933, Page 7

EMPIRE’S TRADE FUTURE

WHAT OF OTTAWA SPIRIT? MARKETING BOARD REVIEW DISCUSSION BY DELEGATES RESIDUE FROM CONFERENCE By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. London, July 19. Mr. J. H. Thomas, Dominions Secretary, replying to Mr. A. M. Lyons (Conservative, Leicester) in the House of Commons, said that arrangements were being made io discuss with the Dominion delegations to the Economic Conference the recommendations of the Imperial Economic Committee in relation to the Empire Marketing Board. If this or a similar body continued Britain would not be called on to pay the whole costs. Mr. W. R. C. Perkins (Conservative, Stroud): “Is Mr. Thomas aware that Australia has increased her duties in five instances on British manufactures?” Mr. Lyons: “Is it a fact that traders in Britain are rightly complaining that goods manufactured in the Dominions are coming here below cost; is that keeping to the spirit of Ottawa?”

Mr. Thomas: “Britain carried out the letter and spirit of the agreements. There have been- circumstances in the Dominions for i which they were not wholly responsible- and that has made it difficult for them to respond in the maimer they should ordinarily have done.” Mr. Thomas’ intimation that the Dominions were being consulted about the fate of the Empire Marketing Board was the first the delegations had heard of the matter. The general impression is that there is a -sufficient residue from the Economic Conference to keep the Dominion delegations busy well into August, but nowhere is there a suggestion that the deliberations should take the form of a miniature Imperial Conference.