MAY BE ADVANTAGE

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1933, Page 8

MAY BE ADVANTAGE

SUGGESTED PRODUCE QUOTA. QUESTION DISCUSSED. Pahiatua, Aug. 10. Touching on the matter of quotas at the annual meeting of the Pahiatua Rural Intermediate Credits Association, the chairman, Mr. J. H. Bremner, said that personally he was not worrying about the question. He was of the opinion that when it came into force it might be an advantage instead of a disadvantage. When die meat quota was first mooted, said Mr. Bremner, there was strong opposition, but despite the imposition of the quota all the lambs went away all right and the Dominion practically doubled its output of beef and pork. He had an idea that even if the quota did come in it would not affect New Zealand so much as it would other countries, particularly Australia. In fact, it might be a means of makn.g this country devote its energies to finding another outlet for its produce. Mr. Bremner was of the opinion that there were greater dangers than the quota so far as the dairy industry was concerned. There was the inefficient system of distribution and the foolish and ridiculous marketing which was losing the industry thousands annually. Mr. J. G. Brechin considered that the quota with meat and the quota with dairy produce were not on a common level The success of the meat quota was due to the fact that it practically bankrupted the Argentine. If a quota came in and attempts were then made to develop the Eastern market, the only one available to New Zealand, it would onlj mean displacing the Australian butter from the Eastern market, so that this additional Australian supply would be dumped on the London market. The present opposition to the quota was chiefly organised by the English margarine interests, who found that with the flooding of butter on the Home market as at present and the low prices obtaining, margarine was not such a competitive product as when butter was dearer. Naturally they wanted the quota on butter. . Mr. Brechin said there were three mam troubles in this country in connection with the dairy industry which the farmers could correct themselves. The first trouble was quality, and in the second case he said the marketing conditions at Home were obviously very bad as there was no system of real co-operation and leadership in the Dominion. They had reached a stage where no one had any faith in anyone else, and they rushed from conference to conference in the hope that something would turn up. Thirdly, they had reached a state where there was no credit in the country. And they would never get credit until they got sound leadership. They must at least have solidity of thought, but at present the farmers were even divided in the question of tariff and exchange. Mr. Brechin was emphatic that if a butter quota came into being it would be. absolutely fataL Their aim should be to fight, as farmers, against any setting up of tariff walls, which he described as “beastly,” and bring in British articles as much as possible.