A DENIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 70, 24 March 1933, Page 8

A DENIAL

NEW ZEALAND'S POLICY

FREE MARKET SOUGHT

A denial that New Zealand had initiated the proposals for the restriction of importations into the United Kingdom, of butter produced by the Dominions was made by the Prime Minister (the Et. Hon. G. W. Forbes) in a statement today. "The 'restriction of the volume of gutter imported into the United Kingdom from. Empire sources has at no time beea suggested by the New Zealand Government, nor, as far as I am aware, have such proposals been advanced or supported either by the Dairy Board or by an responsible person in the industry, V said Mr. Forbes. "We have at all times sought a free market for all Empire produce entering the United Kingdom, and any other arrangement runs counter to our whole accepted policy. "To make the position clear it is necessary to go back a little and review the course of events at and subsequent to the Ottawa Conference. The requests made there on behalf of tho New Zealand Dairy Board, supported by the Government, included the Testrietion of the volume of imports! of butter into the United Kingdom from foreign sources. No restriction on supplies from any Dominion was suggested by us. OUTCOME OP OTTAWA. "The outcome of the Ottawa Conference, so far as butter was concerned, was that the British Government agreed to give Dominion produce a preference of 15s per cwt over foreign butter,- by imposing a duty of that amount on foreign butter while leaving Empire butter duty-free. The British Government also agreed that for a period of at least three years no restriction should be placed on imports of our butter into the United Kingdom, j "In January of this year I understand that those immediately connected with the handling of dairy produce imported into the United kingdom felt reason for concern at the position that was developing. Discussions in London, so far as I am aware, arose from the representations by_ the industry,

whose suggestions took the form of restricting tho imports of butter from foroign sources..

! "These representations led to joint discussions in which British Ministers conferred with .official representatives of the Dominions. The discussions led to suggestions by British Ministers that [imports of butter from all sources, Dominion as well as foreign, should bo restricted for a period.

LONDON DISCUSSIONS,

"The foregoing makes it perfectly clear thafr the New Zealand Government was at no time responsible for any [suggestion involving the restriction of j imports from any part of tho Empire [into tho United Kingdom. The discusjsions in London had in fact proceeded some distance before it was intimated to us, and apparently- to Australia; that the restriction of butter imports from all sources was contemplated."