THE ARMOUR CASE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 210, 31 May 1921, Page 4

THE ARMOUR CASE

AN IMPORTANT PRECEDENT

WASHINGTON AND WELLINGTON Attention has been drawn to the fact that the exchange of communications between the United States Government and the New Zealand Government, through the American Consul-General, regarding the refusal of a meat export license to Armour and Company of Australasia has created a precedent. It has been the custom in the past for official communications between Washington and Wellington io go through the channel of the Colonial Office in London.

Referring to this point yesterday, tho Acting-Prime Minister (Sir Francis Bell) Baid that on other occasions the American Government had sent communications through the American Consul-Gen-eral. But on the advice of the late Solicitor-General the New Zealand Government had always replied that while it was ready to give the Consul-General every assistance in gathering information for himself, it could communicate with the United States Government only through the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Tho direct reply that had been sent regarding tho Armour case was a new departure. Sir Francis Bell added that he was informed that Armour and Company of Australasia had about a million carcasses, mostly lamb, in the freezing stores in New Zealand. This meat had been bought without a license to export. The quantity was large enough to seriously disturb the London market if the company chose to act in hostility to New Zealand. Parliament had made clear provision to prevent a company of this kind acting as an exporter *of New Zealand meat, and the Government was not prepared to permit evasion of the law.