REMOVING TRADE BARRIERS.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 75, 15 April 1937, Page 4

REMOVING TRADE BARRIERS.

The inforinatiOn given to the House Of Gonlraons last week by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr Stanley Baldwin, indicates that Britaiii pfefets to deal With liations individually rather than to Suggest an ifiternational conference for the purpose of retnoving the barrieva that prevent the naturai flow of trade. The breakdown of the last international economic conference has not been forgotten in Britain. Siiice that fiasco Britain has preferred to tnakc agreements with individual liationS. The agreements with Denmark and Argentina have been of peculiar intorest to NeW -Zealand. In making tliem Britain has been able to exert the influenee that is always. lield by the nation prepared to be- , come a i&rge biiyer of another country 's products. It has been miade clear in all the later trade agreements that Britain will in future buy * from those to whom She can 'also sell, and this is a condition the Do* minions as well as foreign nations must recognise. Mr Baldwin also informed the House that he consid'ered the agenda for the ImperiaJ conference was wide enough to permit of "a full discussion of intniEmpire trading. In New Zealand that has been generally recognised, as well as the fact that considerable modifieation of the Ottawa agreements must be aaticipated. By definite arrangements with both Empire and foreign countries the Government of Great Britain is satisfied that better results 'are being achieved than by a inore spectacular conference which might achieve much or little. The negotiations now proceeding between Britain and the United Stqtes are apparently of the same nature, although Mr Baldwin was careful to welcome again oo-operation by America in the removal of artificial barriers to the flow of international trade.