TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 90, 10 January 1935, Page 8

TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA

It is a happy augury for the resumption in March of _ the Australo-New Zealand trade conversations that the Prime Mimste; of the Commonwealth has outlined to Tasmanian potato growers a plan whereby a small quota of New Zealand potatoes would be admitted to Australia “during periods of scarcity.” The maximum quantity proposed to be admitted, one-fortieth of Australia’s consumption, may seem small; but it is perhaps not so small as it seems, and in any case it concedes the principle that there is nothing to fear in the way' of disease by opening the door to our crop. While it is hardly <o be expected that the Tasmanian growers will be enthusiastic supporters of the proposal, the fact that Mr. Lyons, himself a lasmanian country member, has laid it before them suggests that he intends to go ahead with it. As Prime Minister, of course, he has to consider other than Tasmanian interests: the Victorian and South Australian orange growers will be keen to see anything done which will give them freer entry to the New Zealand market. And the people most concerned but least considered in many of these dealings—the consumers —have had about enough of the foolishness which denies them potatoes and oranges at reasonable prices merely because two sistei countries are hot playing trade speaks in these commodities. National prosperity in the future, as in-the past, will .be directly related to the volume of international trade. And international trade is passing more and more under the control of Governments; so the position boils down to this: that country will be most prosperous whose Government shows itself the best at making mutually satisfactory trade agreements with other Governments. New Zealand and Australia are having a little family practice in this branch of diplomacy, but so far its results do not hold out high hopes of success for either participant in the wider field of foreign trade.