QUOTA NOT APPROVED YET

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1934, Page 9

QUOTA NOT APPROVED YET

DEFINITE STATEMENT MADE CABINET AWAITS BOARD DECISION MUST BE FOR GOOD OF DOMINION. NO USE INCREASING PRODUCTION By Telegraph—Press Association. Hamilton, March 29. “It is absurd for people to put such rumours round,” stated Mr.. C. E. Macmillan, Minister of Agriculture, when rumours that Mr. J. G. Coates was endeavouring to force the Dairy Board to accept a quota were referred to him. “The Cabinet is awaiting a decision by the board,” continued Mr. Macmillan. “If the board is not satisfied with the present position, what does it want ? The whole question depends on the answer. ‘The British Government has put forward a tentative suggestion that a delegation from New Zealand should „ visit Britain and discuss the position,” he pointed out. “This has been agreed to by the Cabinet and the Dairy Board, the delegation to consist of nominees of the board and possibly a Cabinet Minister. No decision has been reached as to the policy to be adopted by the delegation, which will be subject to consideration by the Government and the board. The Cabinet will meet the board again when the board has decided what it wants to do. That, I expect, will be at the next meeting of the board in April. “In the meantime I can say definitely that there will be no Cabinet approval of a quota until it .is proved beyond doubt that it would be for the good of New Zealand,” emphasised Mr. Macmillan, who added that, although Britain stated that the quota question was out of the way for two years, the people of New Zealand did not seem to understand. The question in the meantime was still open for discussion. Mr. Macmillan said that in comparison with 1928-1929 production had increased by 45,000 tons, but the return was lower by £5,000,000. What was the use, he contended, of increasing production if this was the result ? It would be better if New Zealand got back to the 1928 figure so as to lessen the costs. He claimed that to produce more at the present price of butterfat meant greatly increased costs. Increased production would mean declining receipts. “If we are going to produce more at the present .prices we will be dangerously near the position when costs swallow the whole return,” he said. “We have also to consider what will happen to New Zealand .if. the production of Australia is unrestricted. It has recently been stated that if necessary Queensland could produce more than ten times the whole of the present Australian output.” DEFINITE PROPOSAL NECESSARY. BARGAINING POLICY NOT WANTED. Wellington, Last Night. “It is no use a dairy delegation going to England unless it has very definite and concrete proposals to place before the British Government,” said Dr.' A. J. Harrop, journalist and representative in England of the University of New Zealand, who arrived at Wellington by the Akaroa from Southampton to-day. Dr. Harrop said he noted with interest that the British Government had tentatively invited New Zealand to send a delegattion, a suggestion which had been agreed to by Cabinet and the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board. “I am ■ of opinion that the-' representative of the Dairy Board should give place on the delegation' to persons more representative of the whole country,” said Dr. Harrop. “I would suggest a Minister of the Crown, who would have with him a national representative with business knowledge and one quite independent of farming interests.” There was danger in sending farmers to Britain to bargain with English farmers, Dr. Harrop continued. Bargaining engendered a spirit of petty shopkeeping and undermined the broader Imperial sentiment. It was very dangerous to get into trade squabbles, which inevitably resulted from a policy of bargaining. “General agreements as between the nations concerned are, in my opinion, the most satisfactory basis of trade,” -Dr. Harrop added.