The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1930. PREFERENCE AND QUOTA.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1930. PREFERENCE AND QUOTA.

The Imperial 'Conference is nearing its close, and the general impressions among the delegates seems to be that it is destined to failure*. The Secretary of State for the Dominions has made a really pathetic appeal for unanimity on some practicable scheme of inter-]niperin] trade, But the Imperial Government appears still to he completely dominated by the obdurate Mr Snowden. An Australian representative js reported to have saidj that the Dominions would once more submit the Imperial authorities their decision that “preference is the need of the moment,’’ and if Mr Snowden remains unmoved, “that will be the end of it.” The one definite and positive contribution to the Conference discussions made by Britain is the quota scheme, and this points out an exchange, has certainly not found favour in the eyes of the Dominion delegates. Foremost in the ranks of its opponents stands our own Mr Forbes, and his comments have been so frank and forcible that he has already been credited with having killed the scheme altogether. The idea of the quota, as applied to wheat, is that each year a certain proportion of the milling wheat required for British consumption should he purchased by Britain from the Dominions at prices, the British grower supplying a certain percentage at a price covering cost of production, and the British miller being eventually indemnified for tiie dierence between the two prices by means of a State subsidy. The scheme is complicated, and in effect is combines a cumbersome form of protection for the British farmer with a dubious sort of Preference for the Dominion wheat grower. But apart from these defects, MJr Forbes condemns the quota system on the ground that it is very difficult to apply to dairy produce, fruit and other colonial m-n----duots, and most people will agree that so awkward and ineffective a system of State trading is hardly worth the risk of experiment. Some of the Dominion delegates—and Mr Forbes among them —have been taken to task by British newspapers for discussing the Con lev* once problems publicly and freely, and for intruding, at at least by inference, upon the sacred ground of domestic politics. it is difficult to see how any member of the Conference could make a speech at Home just now without alluding directly or indirectly to tho fiscal problems of the hour, and tbo leading politicians at Home nre certainly open to similar criticism in regard to the Conference debates. AI P Baldwin, in particular, has made emphatic pronouncements on the needs of 1 lie Empire and the responsibilities of Britain, and it is apparently impossible to keep British and Imperial politics in entirely water-tight compartments. But however this may be, it is unfortunate that the British Government, with the object ol propitiating foreign countries, should choose this moment to ratily the Tarifi Truce, which hinds Britain not to levy import duties till after a certain time has expired.

Tiik moans ol iii):pi’oviii<£ the dairying herds of the district are hv no mean* exlnuistod. The settlors in various localities have taken up at last the matter of herd testing, and the results are' said to he already very encouraging. Many of the settlers are gathering information as to the vafno of their herd very wide apart from the guess work formerly used, and no a result the immediate future will '.see the building up of good herds on the right linos. It has taken a long time to convince farmers of the value of the test work, but the experience elsewhere and the results in the greatly improved returns lias been beyond question. Another factor helpful to the increase of returns is topdressing and fertilising. There in no doubt this factor lias played its part in the North Island where the dairying returns have advanced by leaps and bounds. Top-dressing is becoming more and more general in Westland and the settlers are remarking on the practical results. Herd* may 'be kept now in smaller areas, or the number of milch cows increased, this latter effect assisting in itself to increase the daily returns. The importance of the increased yield is best realised now with the drop in dairy product prices, quantity in a measure making up for the decline on the aggregate returns. Locally dairy factories /ire reporting increased supplies of cream and consequently more butter and cheese are being manufactured. There is a world increase in production of late and it is essential that New Zealand should keep pace with the times, The reports from those in touch with the markets do not give much prospect of an increase in price, bo that there is the obligation to face the position as best they can, and one way is to endeavour to meet the situation by producing more, The herd testing system is in general vogue, and those who have adopted it are going to derive much lenefit. Results already appear to be giving great satisfaction. As to the top-drefising all may resort to that at once or at any time, and it is not surprising to find the import of fertilisers increasing greatly and the output of the lime works a growim’ volume. These are ways 'by which the j farmers can help themselves, and they are setting about it with the determination to make the best of the present position.