IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1930, Page 5

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

TARIFF PREFERENCES. EDITORIAL COAHTENTS. * (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, Oct. U. The. “Times” discussing tariff preferences, says:—Never has there been manifested such a strong desire on the part of the Dominions to cooperate with the Mother Country. The “Daily Ala.il” says:—The proposals of the Dominionn have not been rejected outright, but handed over to the Department for examination, which will require a week. Any other nation would have jumped at such an offer. The “News Chronicle” says:—The peril of the situation is that the Dominions Premiers have a totally false idea of the real balance of opinion ill Britain on such question as foodstuffs and the sooner the Governmentmakes it plain that Britain is opposed to protection the better.

PROGRESS STATEMENT

(Received this dnv n+< 9. a.m.A LONDON, Oct. 14. Tile British spokesman indicated there is ho likelihood of an important announcement - from the Conference during the next few days. Elaborating a communique which stated the delegates in tho morning exchanged views on suggestions for improvement of international trade, lie said they had come, down to details of economic questions, involving, a colossal amount o f work, the nature of which meant that a statement at the present could not be made. , Delegates fully discussed quotas, as a possible means of improving Empire trade, and referred the question to a committee, now consisting of Graham, iStewens and Molonley, it© which a repreisentative of each other Dominion will be added. A committee, hitherto informal, was appointed specially to discuss wheat, hut it is now officially constituted to deal .with the whole question of quotas the application-of which to wheat, might be an important factor. Heads of delegations again meet on Thursday and will probfibly discuss bulk purchases. (Received this dnv at 11 n.m.) LONDON, Oct. 14. From the first day’s exploration of the British alternatives to preferences nothing concrete lias emerged, except the -appointment 1 of a committee to ‘examine the quotas. Let us see what is in it. Had it been the Dominion 4 delegajtes attitude they would have seized the need of preserving a fixed percentage ’of milling needs to the British grower. The experts are now seeing how the rest of the trade can be 'apportioned. For instance if the British grower retains fifteen per ■cent and the Dominions: their fifty per cent, any extension of. quotas in - a new guise of preference ought to be substantial, but one Dominion delegate envisaged a small advance in the making of the total on .British, Dominions combined shares eighty per cent, after which trading agreement with Argentine would probably absorb most of the balance of twenty per cent.

Here lies a hope in the eyes of some Dominion delegates of excluding Russian dumping. They admit the variation of Australian and Canadian yields and express the opinion there would .be . need for five - years averages to ensure stability of percentages. If the scheme can be worked they do not foresee great difficulty in getting the requisite- British legislation or a, periodic adjustment price to world parity, but the maze of figures is only beginning and one in close touch with the discussion* assured the Australian Press Association representative they would not be surprise if the exploration ~„of the maze led them back to the beginning

(point. ' ' ■ -if f “ “If is not easy to change British ideas in the space of six weeks. We still think preferences are the best ideal. Nothing hitherto has happened to encourage the waning hope that it will 'be achieved ” LONDON, Oct. 14; 1; Another delegate from the Antipodes told the Australian Press representative they now more definitely than ever acknowledged abandonment of hope of the MacDonald. Government accepting any preference scheme entailing taxation on foreign food, imports. They are entering entirely without enthusiasm the discussions om the British Government’s alternative proposals. The Import Board’s allocation of thelfuotaw, a.s one delegate puts it is a project that is full of snags. You may possibly make a good fltnrt along a flowery path, hut sure ere long you find thorns are met. The upshot is the Dominion delegates estimate the present situation is that they regard the prospect of profitably marketing Australia’s and New Zealand’s produqts and increasing outputs of primary production as very gloomy. They are beginning to look forward to the necessity for a retrograde step, and having to recommend reduction of production as is being done already in the United States. One impression the Dominion doleieil.es are sure to carry hack is Britalmost parental care of Argentine interest owing to large British investments there. “Argentina is one of our keenest competitors (but the British Cabinet (seems to regard it pjmost as within the British family.”