TRADE WITH CANADA

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1930, Page 3

TRADE WITH CANADA

SEPARATE TREATY URGED. ACTION BY AUCKLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. * AUCKLAND, January 23. The Auckland Chamber- of' Commerce decided to-day to make representations' to the Government- urging the advisabilitiy- of ’ .'edncluding ; a separate trade " treaty- between' New ; Zealand arid Canada.' It was‘ felt that the present association of New • Zealand 1 with the Australian trade treaty with Canada is likely to act detrimentally with this'country. 1 r . /'■• Mr J. W. Collins, the liewly-appoin-' i ted’Trade Commissioner to Cahads, -- will shortly be passing ■ thrbugh •Auckland on Jiis way to that country, arid the Chamber has already invited him to discuss the matter with its executive and also to address members at one of its luncheons. . The position is set out in a letter received by the Chamber from Mr F. J 3. Leonard, of Leonard and Son, Limited. “New Zealand and Canada are trading under the Australian- Trade Agreement, which came into force on Octo-. ' her Ist, 1925, and was made available for- I New’Zealand-by-an Order-in-Coun-- - cil of the 'same dritej™ wrote -Mr -'Leo- 1 nard. “Under the schedule of this trade agreement meats, ; lard, tallow,! besswax, eggs, cheese, butter, vegetab- • Jes, onions, Apjyles/ ptears, -honey,! and other foodstuffs enter’Canada- ilnder > preferential rates of -'duty The 'diity'nft > butter beiiig j-ipefr - cerit pier lb'.' -’• ■/', ’’ • “For sortie time past ’there liasbeen if, an agitation 4 going on'iH 1 of Canada, lieaded : b,y *fhb daily-*ffalTn-U ers actihg ' under their " governing body, ; the' National Drtiry Cduneilof Canada. TEe policy of this ' Council is fo ask its Government to raise the general tariff -to ' seven'- cents,. with-..a preferential rate to New Zealand of four cents, that is, three cents preference. The Canadian dairy industry is asking for that amount of protect- . • ion, and it is quite within the bounds of possibility that the continued agitation which is going on in Canada may influence the political -situation in . the-long run. ' 1 " . “

writing to the president o‘f- the ; V-,’ : National' Dairy Council of Canada some" 1 months ago we suggested that the ; question of’ trtriff could be best dealt - with by'd conference between Canadian’ Government Officials dnd represeiitativ- 1 esi of the National Dairy Council of Canada’dn‘the ’onfe hand,'And the GoV- : i .ernmerrt on J th’e 'otlietV Possibly it .might : be 'found, ‘ iff the support’for ’the 1 -- pre/sent ' tariff’ was' riot' sufficiently . ..strong; ’’the’ conference /suggested 'above ; ! - could come to some arrangement : for a:“ compromise. Tri any casri, we'are quite "' satisfied that the situation should be dealt with from this end and not allowed to drift. / -•; :' UV

“Instead of working under the Australian .trade agreement now thatTwe;' have a Trade Commissieper "rpjjointed to represent us, it will Le better‘to, have our own trade agreement withCanada, and if we were working under [ a direct trade agreement it would' free New Zealand from any suspicion of as- [ sociafcion with the Paterson scheme, which as you are aware, operates' in Australia and is...resented'byythe’Canadinns. Tlje Paterson'scheme gives a bounty ,pn butter exported from Australia to Canada.’’ , ... W •The chairman..(Mr -M. Stewart) re- - ported that Air J.VAV. Coliins had at- , readv been aopronclied on the matter, and it was decided to ask the New Zealand Government to negotiate its own treaty with Canada. it.-.