NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19066, 3 October 1933, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

MARKETING IN BRITAIN.

ADVICE BY MR T. BAXTER.

RAISING PRICE LEVELS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. Advice to New Zealand farmers that they would be doing the best for ■themselves by co-operating with the Old Country in her endeavour to raise wholesale prices of primary products to a remunerative level rather than by worrying about the quantity of produce the Dominion would be able to send Home in five years was given by Mr T. Baxter, the representative of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, in an interview to- . day. Within two months of the Ottawa Conference an extraordinary and unexpected collapse in the prices of both butter and cheese took place in Britain owing to the saturation of the market from an ever-increasing sup-

ply, mostly from Dominion sources, and prices had remained at a ruinous level ever since, he said. It was therefore the British Government’s ob- < ject to regulate the supply of dairy .produce from all sources by giving each supplying country a quota, and the Dominion was asked to co-oper-ate.

After discussing the , marketing scheme for England and Wales, which would come into operation on January 1, Mr Baxter said that if the butter market had to remain unregulated, which it would 'for another two years owing to the Ottawa agreement unless the Dominions agreed to a quota proposal, the British farmers could not sit quietly and see the cheese market do likewise. They must have an out.et for their surplus milk into some fair priced market. The Dominion was asked to limit its output of cheese by what Mr Baxter believed need only be a small percentage while the market remained glutted.

Prosperity of New Zealand. From the point of view of meeting New Zealand’s external debt charges it was not the quantity, but the value of exports that counted, said Mr Baxter. The prosperity of New Zealand depended on the prosperous foreign trade of the United Kingdom. He thought the Home Government could not he expected to cut its foreign trade to ribbons to make room for unlimited supplies from the Dominions. New Zealand was a splendid customer, but had not sufficient purchasing power to compensate for a serious loss of foreign trade. Mr Baxter said there was no question of going back on the Ottawa agreement, but co-operation was wanted.

restriction of exports. ' A DIFFICULT POSITION. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. It Is clear that the New Zealand Government will be placed In a very delicate and difficult 'position when It comes - to consider the request of the British farmers as represented by Mr Thomas Baxter, the delegate of the National Farmers’ Union of England and ’ Wales, for restriction of the Dominion's exports of dairy produce notably, cheese. It Is understood that the Dairy Produce Board is strongly opposed to accepting such restrictions as has been suggested, and influential members of the Government also hold the view that Great Britain is asking too much of the Dominion. Restrictions to which .the Government has previously agreed have been restrictions affecting every primary producing country of the Empire alike, but restriction .of cheese exports, it was pointed out today, is one that will affect New Zealand predominantly. The opinion is held that in these circumstances the Government may prefer to place tne onus of restrictive action on Great Britain, rather than to undertake immediate: control of cheese exports from this end. *

It seems likely that Mr Baxter’s visit will be followed by prolonged negotiations between the New Zealand Government and the Dairy Board on the one hand and the British Government and the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales os the other. In the meantime before his departure by the Makura to-morrow afternoon, Mr Baxter will place the attitude of the British farmers before a meeting of members of both Houses of Parliament, which is to be held in Parliament House in the morning.