TAKE POT LUCK

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20463, 1 April 1938, Page 7

TAKE POT LUCK

EMPIRE PRODUCERS , REGULATION IN BRITAIN INTER-IMPERIAL TRADE United Press Assn.—Elee. Tel. Copyright SYDNEY, March 31 ** Empire producers will have to regulate voluntarily their exports to the United Kingdom or take pot luck with the president of the British Board of Trade,' declared Sir Reginald Dor-man-Smdh, M.P., leader of the British delegation, at the Empire producers’ conference to-day. Tha British Government was determlned, Sir Reginald added, that there should be some regulation, and desired that It should be done by the producers themselves. €!r Reginald moved a long motion the substance of which favoured the principle that Britain should give first place in her home market to the home producer, second place to the Dominions and third to foreign countries. The motVn urged the producers to do everything possible to develop intraImperlal trade and urged that the Dominions should immediately conduct treaty negotiations in order to expand foreign markets, and that machinery should be set up to regulate supplies to the United Kingdom market from all sources. It was also suggested that there should be a complete revision of the present methods of organisation on the Empire economic and cooperative basis. f a Bargain Unit Mr W. W. Mulholland, president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, asked: ** Does this resolution mean that we as a conference of farmers approve -of local restrictions on Empire tra^fe?” Reginald: This resolution applies only to the United Kingdom market. It was pointed out by Sir Reginald that if they could use the Empire as a bargain unit they could force foreign countries to examine their own fiscal systems. Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith emphasised that the British Government was desirous of bringing about economic appeasement, freer trade and 'a greater flow of international trade, with the reservation that they were not going to have their industrial population placed out of work by going completely back to the old conditions. Mr J. H. Wain, another member of the British delegation, seconding the motion, said the British Government was determined to do something in fulfilment of its responsibility to its primary producers. British Plan Criticised Australian delegates warmly criticised the British plan, Mr T. Bath (Western Australia) fearing that Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith was asking them to take the wrong road. Mr Bath contended that an Empire policy aiming at self-sufficiency with a restrictive attitude to foreign countries, involving a chain of regulative control, wculd be difficult to undo. The Hon. F. Waite, M.L.C. (New Zealand) said what concerned the New Zealand delegation was whether the British proposals involved quantitative restriction. That point must be clearly settled in committee. Discussion was proceeding when the conference adjourned.