ORDERLY MARKETING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 24, 28 July 1939, Page 4

ORDERLY MARKETING

BRITAIN'S DESIRE

DOMINIONS SHOULD AGREF

The statement of the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) about the restrictions on .New Zealand produce entering the United Kingdom was commented on yesterday by tne Dominion secretary of the New Zealand farmers' Union, Mr. A P. O'Shea.

Mr. O'Shea emphasised that he was expressing a personal opinion, and that he had no desire to go into the question of whethei or not the impori restrictions had any bearmg on the re» su-ictions imposed by England oh NewZealand's primary produce. He did desire, however, to point out that tne prophecies of Sir Reginald Dorman Smith at the Sydney Empire Primary Producers' Conference aad now been, realised.

A; the Sydney conterence Sir Reginald had stated that the United Kingdom Government was determined to introduce the orderly marketing of primary produce, and tfiM while iNew Zealand had done, and was still dwug, an excellent job id regulating shipments, the benefit of that reguianun was lost, if the other supplying countries did not do the same and if the efforts of all countries were not coordinated. He told the conference that if the Dominions would not agree to regulation the alternative was an arbitrary restriction imnosed by the President of the Board of Trade, hew Zealand had not accepted the principle of regulation; and had, therefore, automatically chosen- restrict, iuu /

In Mr. O'Shea's opimr-i. .this failure to come' into line with the expressed wish of the British Government was the major factor in the imposition of, the restrictions. It was conceivable, of course, that New Zealand's having imposed restrictions on United Kingdom goods had something to ao with, it, but he was not concerned with that, and merely wanted to point out that what the present Minister of Agriculture had prophesied had come true to the letter.

Mr. O'Shea stated that' he believed that the wisest course for New Zealand to pursue was to fall into line with the .expressed wishes of the British Government, and that,no good would come of refusing to do so. It was not yet too late to accept the conditions proposed at Sydney, which would be a big advance on the present arrangements. The fanners of ihe Empire sooner or later would bave to get together and see that their produce was marketed in an orderly manner, and that no one was allowed to break the market as the Australians had done during the last season by dumping shipments on " the Home market close together. "Till the primary producers ol the Empire and of the world get together, they will be completely at the mercy; of the commercial interests," Mr» O'Shea. concluded.