FUTURE OF NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21418, 9 March 1935, Page 16

FUTURE OF NEW ZEALAND

POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF LEVY ! "BRITAIN HAS IGNORED THE LONG VIEW" i | OPINIONS OF MR W. H. E. FLINT j i j "Britain has ignored the long view, ir nd has taken the short one," said | Mr W. H. E. Flint, managing director lof the New Zealand Refrigerating ! Company, when the New Zealand reply was referred to him last evening. Mr Flint said that the possible dc -elopment of New Zealand into a country carrying a population large enough to take a great deal of the manufactures of Britain had apparently not been considered, but that a j cause for the determination of Britain to help her farmers might be found : in her fear of shortage of supplies in 'an emergency such as a war. "A lot of the New Zealand reply is i outside the interests of the meat trade j altogether," said Mr Flint. The reply was quite correct when it stated that ! Ihe trouble had no connexion with the | British sheepfarmer, he said. "When ! I was in England five months ago. the sheepfarmer was having good returns, ;nd his farming was profitable. The trouble lay solely with the beef fat- ; tener, a sort of intermediary." | English Taste j Mr Flint said that there would appear to be little doubt that the taste lof English consumers regarding beef Iha ( changed, a change which was partly explained in all probability by the desire recently for smaller joints. ! "There would appear to be little ; hope escaping a quota or a levy,' ! M Flint continued. "Either of these 1 . hings must be exceedingly detriI mental to the future interests of New j Zealand, as it would almost necessarily j bring about the immediate result of I the termination of New Zealand's development in the form of increased ! production from her sheep farms. Of | recent years, by better farming and the use of fertilisers. New Zealand's | pnajuction has been increasing rapidly, i and' it will be very regrettable if this i good work is to have such a serious I .set-back ;s would appear to be in i prospect through the action of Great j Britain. Foreign Countries "It is rtidicult for us at this distance to be fully informed as to the sheer necessity for the British Government's anticipated action, but it can only be looped that the New Zealand Government will succeed in persuading the en'horities at Home that their action , ■ hou'd be directed toward foreign : countries supplving meat rather than j towards New Zealand. ' "It is apparent that th» long view | r.f the development of New Zealand ; -,to a country carrying a much larger - nnulatinn. r nd th° corresponding de- ! vf.|oj;mont of a larger market for ■ 'ritjYh exports, has been ignored, and ; t!i • short view only taken. It is posj-: ble Miat the motive nrompting Great Britain is the imnort n nrc of better food sunplies within *hc country in tiie event of an emergency such as war, because it should be borne in mind, thai Britain was very near to ■ disaster during the Great, War with Mho German submarine campaign .menacing British food supplies,"