Curiosity About Terms of Meat Purchase

Chronicle (Levin), 11 February 1948, Page 5

Curiosity About Terms of Meat Purchase

LOXDOX, Feb. 10. There is a great deul of curiosity in Parliamentary and Dominion circles 111 London, , about the terms of the AngloArgentine trade agreement followiug •itatements made in Buenos Aires that tli-e prices Britain. will pay for Argen tine meat will be more than appeaFs' on tlie surface, says the United Press. The Buenos Aires Btandard says: '"Britain will maintain a steadv flow of Argen rine meat purchases, paying a definite 14 per cent. increase in price but a lurmula has been devised whereby Argentina will actually receive 30 per cent. over current prices." X e vv Zealand and Australian .repre- . sentatives in London preferred to avvait the full detflils — which are expected from the Chancellor of the Exehequer in the Cominons probably on Thursdav — before commenting but a Treasury official revealed a possible explanatiou of any " double price " allegations. ULe mfLrined that the mean price increase was about 14 per cent. "plus the paynient of a iump sum to cover increased production costs; £.10,000,000 was about right for' this. " This lump sum princ.iple was adopted as a short cut during negotiations and would apply to help •over the cost of all Argentine exports :o Britain including meat. Hotveyer, the lump sum principle# is regarded as a new one in national trade agreements. Ther.e is a great deal ot .'iiriosity about it and Wing Commander Xorman Hulliert, a leading Conservative critic of British bulk buying, may raise the question in the House. Eveu so, lie will not be told the actual prices Britain is paying for meat. Treasury otficials said a disclosure woul'd jeopardise f'uture uegotiatiens. Since the Xew Zealand agreement with Britain permits yearly price reviews, the situation is obviously of con -liderable iinportance to New Zealand.