‘‘POSITION NOT SERIOUS”

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1933, Page 9

‘‘POSITION NOT SERIOUS”

RESTRICTION TO BE SMALL

CHEESE LIMITED TO SOME EXTENT. PUTTING MARKET’S RIGHT AGAIN. MR. BAXTER MAKES STATEMENT. Speaking in reply to those who had put before him the position of the New Zealand’ dairy farmer, Mr. T. Baxter, representative of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, outlined to a gathering at New Plymouth last night the situation of the British fanner, which led the British Government to commit itself to a definite restriction on the imports of dairy produce from New Zealand. The situation as far as New Zealand was concerned, he emphasised, was not as serious as New Zealanders believed.

He was not able to make any long statement because he was pledged to discuss the matter with representatives of the dairy industry next Saturday, Mr. Baxter said. “After seeing the violent eruptions you are used to putting up with in this country,” he continued, “I cannot conceive that the small matter which has brought me here should affect you at all. You are taking a far too serious view of the matter. It is just that something has happened to the world that has brought the increase in consumption almost to a stop. “You have been educated all your lives to produce more and more, considering that no matter how much you produced England could absorb it,” continued Mr. Baxter. The time has come when for a moment the market is full. I cannot see any way of improving things unless we stop the saturation that is taking place. That is all that has happened up to now. For the life of me I cannot see how it will be serious for New Zealand. “It may be only for a moment that we ask you to call a halt in development. You will not find that the limits that will be set will be serious in the matter of tonnage at all. All we ask at the time is. that you should limit the export of cheese to some extent. We have no idea of asking you to accept a big cut in what you are sending. But we ask you to accept the fact that for the time being the market. is full and that by those means the market can be brought right again. LOYALTY OF DOMINIONS. “I. agree with every word that Mr. Polson spoke and I recognise the loyalty of New Zealand and the other Dominions. But in spite of that there are reasons why what Mr. Polson suggested cannot be done,” Mr. Baxter continued, in referring to tire suggestion to place the restrictions only on foreign countries. Restrictions were being imposed for the sole purpose of raising the price to Britain’s own suppliers, but if, for instance, imports from Denmark were restricted, say, 10,000 tons, there would be nothing to stop the Dominions from immediately filling the gap. They could not ask the British Government to accept such a thing. It would not overcome the glut in tire market and it would make the Government the 'laughing stock of the world.” There was also another reason against the suggestions made being put into operation. The British working man had the last say in such questions. Danish butter was considered the best of the butters imported into Britain, whatever the reason was. It might be only that the Danes were first in the market and had established themselves. The fact remained ■ that if the British Government was so foolish as to restrict Danish butter alone then the working man would never put up with it. He would say: "Why should the best .be restricted and I be asked to eat a lower grade l butter?” Tariffs and quotas would be the war cry of an election and it might be that there would be. a.complete change of Government They might even see the tariffs that had been enjoyed against the foreigner disappear. . Agriculture was no different from the industrial.. factory, as far as he could see, Mr. Baxter said. If. + he agriculturist was over-producing • :re was nothing else to do but to suut down and stop developing. He hoped that the stop would be for only a short time, and that the development that was going on at present would be continued. - "My message is that our market is saturated and that we do not want you to send us any more,” Mr. Baxter concluded. The prosperity of the Dominions depended on the prosperity of Britain, which in turn depended on the prosperity of the former. Agriculturists comprised 70 per . cent, of the population of the world and they were the greatest consumers of manufactured goods. If they received a price that left them nothing to buy manufactured goods then the manufacturer would fail. He hoped to have an opportunity the next day of showing Mr. Polson figures of what the Dominion and other countries sent to Britain and how' necessary it was that Britain should not drive other countries to the point of retaliation. Those present at the dinner were Messrs. H. E. Blyde, W. J. Polson, M.P., C. E. Bellringer, G. H. Dolby, J. Brown, d'. F. C. Saxton. S. E. Shaw, L. J. Rundle, W C. Weston, W. C. Green. L. D. Hickford, A. E. Missen, C. H. Sorenson and D. le C. Morgan.