POTATO EMBARGO

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21280, 25 February 1939, Page 8

POTATO EMBARGO

“Childish Stupidity”

Appeal to Visiting Farmers

WAIMATE, February 24.

The reciprocal embargoes on potatoes and citrus fruits were discussed at the reception of the visiting Australian farmers in Waimate this afternoon, when speakers urged the visitors to act as missionaries in securing the removal of a ban which was disturbing the good relations between the two countries.

Mr E. Darroch, president of the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, characterised the embargo as childish stupidity. While consumers in Australia were paying £2O a ton for potatoes, hundreds of tons were rotting in South Canterbury because they could not be exported to Australia. He urged his hearers tc take back with them to Australia some propaganda to break down the embargo. Mr J. G. Germain, who spoke on behalf of the visitors, said that there might be some justification for the embargoes on potatoes and oranges if there was any danger of the products communicating disease from one country to the other. But as far as he understood, there was nc possibility of contamination of any kind. It was greatly to be regretted that the embargoes should exist, he said, or anything which would disturb the friendly relations of New Zealand and Australia. Mr G. H. Andrews said that the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce had been agitating over the embargo for a number of years, and had been criticised because they had not been successful in getting the Government of Australia to accept New Zealand potatoes. The two Dominions, he continued, were the coming nations of the Pacific, and With so much in common it was regrettable that their harmonious relations should be prejudiced by a difference ever trade. He urged the visitors to do what they could to establish better trade relations than existed to-day. Discounting the fear of contamination by disease, Mr J. C. Hay of the Waimate Farmers’ Union, said that the Dominion had a most efficient certification scheme under Government supervision, and a full guarantee could be given that potatoes made available for export to Australia would be entirely free of disease. It appeared a great pity that for no sound reason unmarketable oranges should be rotting in Australia, while with the price £2O a ton in Australia hundreds of bags of potatoes should be rotting in New Zealand. A voice: Nearer £3O a ton.

“We have an idea that the trouble is political,” said Mr Hay to a questioner.