FOOD TALKS RESUMED

Chronicle (Levin), 3 January 1948, Page 5

FOOD TALKS RESUMED

W.Z.PJL;-

— i Reuler ,

Britain And Denmark May Both Mahe toncessions

, CODliright)

Reeeived 1' nday, / p,m. LOXD0X", Jan. 2. Tho -Anglo-Danish food talks whieli broke down in 8eptember will be resum ^ed in London on .January 1, The resumed talks will inelude not onl.t iiegotiiations for the resumption of Dati isli butter and baeon supplies to •Britai'n, but also the whole lield ot trade relations and fmancial dealings between the two eountries. It 'is not known whether the Danes 'a're prepa'red to reducc the priee d'e rnands they made in September an-d 'tliere has been no indieation that the Britisli ('rovernnient is prepared to maki further eoneessions. However, the fael that there is now a new Government in Denmark and that Britain is in a bettei position to supply eoal and mai-hinery tlian she was in ■Sep'tember, mav altei the situation. Ohe o'f t'he major argu nienfs of the British Food Ministrv will nndoubtedly ' e that it cannot eonceda the wide uuugin whieh at present exist« between the Danish deniands and tli't priees beiug paid to the Dominions. In September when Xew Zealand was reeeiving 175s. per hundredweight fron. Britain for her butter, the Danes denianded ,'H2s. and rCfused even to diseuss an ofl'er of 252s. Sinee then t'ho Xew Zealand priee has been inereased to 205s., and the Australian priee to 203s. 6d. Xevertheless it is not disguised that Britain badly needs Danish butter or baeon. Siuee the last London talks broue down, tlie Danes have made agreements to sell Init'ter to Czecho .slovakia and other 'Luropean eountries aftd the Danish press reported this week that l'urther offers in advanee of tlie priee demanded from Britain have been reeeived from tlie United States. The Danes realise. however, ~ that these agreements are largelv temporarv and 'that on any Jong teriu view the British niarkel to whieh their whole agrieultural eeonomy is adjusted, should still be Denmark 's mainstay. It is eonsidered in London that if'the British Governinent ean see its wav to sujiplv Denmark with more eoal and niaehinerv and to make some. eoneessions to relieve Denmark 's generai fin aneial situation, the Danes may be prepared to adjuat their food deniands aeeordinglv. )