MEAT PROPOSAL

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1935, Page 5

MEAT PROPOSAL

DENIAL BY MINISTER NO OFFER TO AUSTRALIA “IMPOSSIBLE POSITION” RESTRICTION ON FOREIGN FREEDOM TO DOMINIONS By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. ■London, Feb. 19. Having received no advice from Canberra, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. W. E. Elliot, is puzzled by a Press agency report of the Commonwealth’s acceptance of certain meat proposals. Mr. Elliot in a statement tc the SunHerald service said: “No such proposals have been submitted to Australia. How could we give the Dominions complete freedom of meat exports with id a lb. levy against Id on foreign meat, and simultaneously restrict foreign exports?” “Perhaps the most remarkable point arising from the beef debate,” says the Manchester Guardian, “is that although some form of quotas existed throughout 1934 and a subsidy was paid for nearly six months, the price obtained by the home producer was worse than ever. It is plain, therefore, that the cause of the slump in British prices is not simply overloading the market. “More important still 2,000,000 employed cannot possibly afford British or even Dominion beef. Yet under the proposed long-term scheme a levy will be imposed on a restricted supply of imported beef, thus inevitably raising the price in order that the consumer of home produced meat will not have to pay more. Even the present subsidy seems a more desirable way of ‘saving the farmer* than that,” says the Guardian. REFUSAL TO COMMENT MINISTER IN AUSTRALIA AWAITING A STATEMENT Hee. 8 p.m. Melbourne, Feb. 20. Dr. Earle Page, Minister of Commerce, declined to comment on Mr. Elliot’s statement cabled yesterday. Dr. Page said he would await an official statement from the British Government.