Argentine Wriggling On British Pact

Chronicle (Levin), 3 September 1949, Page 5

Argentine Wriggling On British Pact

Received Friday 8.30 p.m. . LONDON, Sept. 2. Buenos Aires xnessages state that British bnsiiiessuien and ofricials in Argentina ara pert.irbed about tha failure of tlie Ar0enu.i2 Government to implemeut any of tne import clauses in the recent Anglo-Argen-tine trade agreement. In the hrst seven weoks' operation of the new agreement j_»ritain had heen ieft with an uni'avourahle baiance of at least 15.000, ujO and possibly as much as £14,0u0,000. The value of Argentine moa l shipments since the agreement carne mto operation had oeen £5,500,OoO. Eritain lias paid for all this meat oue there have so far been-no A^geiu.ue orders piaced in return. bOiiia sources suggest tnat the ArgeuLiuian deiays are dtte to the belix tiiat sterlmg will shortly be devauieil. Buenos Aires sources exp^L that Argentine meat smpmencs to ^r.tain v.iii shortly show a snarp ciecrease. x-ijontine farmers are now demaiiuiiig 97 centavos per kilogram live we.ght which is 50 per cent. more than tne average price fijxed by the Argeiicine Government. Recent Argentine meat shipments to Britain have been abnormaily high because many farniers kept tneir cattle oat of tne moon. ti during the trade negotiations and have recently been disposing oi u~eir surplus.