The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1929.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1929.

TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA. Relatively speaking, Australia and New Zealand are neighbouring countries. Uniortunately, more baaii* the 'husman {sea divides them. The Canterbury potato growers are perturbed nocause, ; white they have an aoundance of. potatoes to d.spose of and there is a shortage in the Lo...ni.nwealth, an embargo has been placed up-41 the admission of tile New Zealand product to Australia The embargo rests upon the supp-sed. existence of disease in New Zealand potato crops. If a disease does exist it is only in such a ery insignificant degree that it' does n.t trouble the consumers in New Zealand There can be no doubt tlint it ,s a purely protective embargo that has been imposed by the Australian Government, dictated by a desire to keep out New Zealand grown potatoes 4i t of competition with the Australian product. Potatoes represent an almost indispensable article of diet, and the Australian house-keepers are, in , oimmm with the New Zealand producers, feeling the cli'oct of the embargo. At the present time potatoes ore worth £l7 a ton in Australia, and he price per ton in New Zealand is about one-fourth of that. New Zealand has more potatoes than she needs lor her own consumption, and the roers naturally desire to secure the benefit of. the higher prices that would le obtainable in the Commonwealth. As was pointed out,' however, at a meeting at Christchurch on Saturday, the tactics that are being employed by the Australian Government are not unknown on the port of New Zealand. When the prices of potatoes were low in the Commonwealth, the growers in ,ni.s country were not insensible oi the advantage they would enjoy through the imposition of an embargo in New Zealand upon the introduction of the Australian product. In the circumstances they have little reason, perhaps, to be optimistic respecting the ability of the Government, to which they are making representations, to do anything to help them in the present situation. But, comments the Otago Times, there is more than a question of potatoes to he considered. Here are two dominions, only a few hundred miles distant from one another, intimately connected in their interests in many ways and having much in common, but the trade ro'ntions between them are n“t upon the dose and mutually helpful footin' l, that might he expected. Australia shuts Now Zealand potatoes cut il there is a shortage in li /i r own market and an abundance in this D"m'tiion, and New Zealand ad mts much too same p wed lire w’h n n it. «”i's When in either *o'-ntrv « nr'irarv in<lu«trv is considered 1o he in dao rrn '' of serious compelii inn fron outside provision is mado for the protection of it through ihc tariff. The growers both want the protection and protest

against the emoargoes. They cannot nave it l)oth ways.