v THE TWO DOMINIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18392, 28 July 1931, Page 7

v THE TWO DOMINIONS.

RETALIATORY MEASURES. -STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER. AWAITING CANADIAN MOVE. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Monday. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, has been challenged upon his statement made in the House of Representatives last week that Canada enjoys more in preference lhan the concessions which she gives fo New Zealand. Explaining this statement to-day, Mr Forbes quoted figures of the trade between the two countries and outlined the ■ concessions enjoyed. During 1930, he said. New Zealand had sent to Canada the following goods upon which duty concessions were enjoyed:—Onions, seeds, frozen beef, mutton and lamb, sausage casings, canned meats, cheese and other items. Butter, which was now negligible, he excluded. The concession which New Zealand enjoyed by being on the preferential tariff against the foreign sohedule was £83,223.

Advantage in Duty. On the other hand, New Zealand had ■taken from Canada certain goods admitted free, namely, paper in rolls, gum boots and wire to the value of £439,546, upon which the advantage in duty given by New Zealand as against the foreign schedule amounted to £103,879, including surtax. In addition, the position of the motor-car Importations from Canada to this country was an interesting one. Taking nine months' active operation of the new duty against Canadian car*; and calculating the figures on that basis for a full year, the Prime Minister said motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts valued at £1 ,'OGO,020 came into New Zealand, and Canada had paid substantially less in duty than she would have done on the general foreign tariff for motor-cars. Canada was charged 50 per cent, on complete cars as against 68.9 per cent, on foreign cars, a gain to Canada of 18.9 per cent.

The Butter Tariff.

The figures, the Minister added, showed that Canada, on motorcar importations and other goods on her free list, had gained £207,102 in tariff concessions, whereas New Zealand had benefited by only £83,223. Mr Forbes discussed the general trade relations between the two Dominions, particularly in the light of the statement made by Mr Parker Maloney, 'the Australian Minister of Markets, that the New Zealand attitude might have the effect of Canada placing New Zealand butter on the general tariff of 14 cents per lb. “There is no need for Canada to put 14 cents on our butter," Mr Forbes said. "The present duty of eight cents is quite sufilcient to keep our butter right out of the Canadian market. ... If the ~ .Canadian people think this market is worth coming on to, it is to be expected they will make some overture to this Government to cultivate it.”

Ready for Discussion.

Questioned as to whether the Government was prepared to extend the olive branch to Canada and end the present deadlock, Mr Forbes said: “It depends what the olive branch Is. There is nothing to be gained by our sending a Minister to Canada. Til.’

matter can be arranged in a very i simple way. If Canada wants to discuss the question, we are prepared to do so.” A suggestion made by a critic, that Canada’s hand had been forced by New Zealand’s summary action in taxing Canadian motor-cars, was met by the Prime Minister with the reply that Canada began the priW.if. tariff deadlock by raising the tax on •New Zealand butter from one cni to four cents last year. To this, New Zealand had replied by raising the duty on cars. The butter went up once ■moro and New Zealand made the final move to date by removing the Canadian privileges under the British preference with a few exceptions. It would appear then that New Zealand’s hand, and not Canada’s, had been forced.