ONLY TEMPORARY

Hokitika Guardian, 22 August 1932, Page 5

ONLY TEMPORARY

BUTTER SCHEME DELIBERATIONS AT OTTAWA.

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

OTTAWA, August 20,

Mr 'Osborne, discuss.ng butter, considers the result satisfactory, but it is not quite up to expectations. “Our application was for a duty of two pance per pound. Now the duty is fixed at fifteen shillings per cwt. It will be more than favourable to Australia and Kew Zealand if the prices fall than would a percentage duty.”

‘‘lt was disappointing that our application for a qualitative restriction upon the importation, of foreign butter was not entertained, but hereon grave doubts were expressed whether it would not involve a dangerous precedent, which might eventually act to tIM detriment of the Dominions, by applying the same principle to Dominion products also. “That danger was realised at our first meeting here, when the British farmers intimated that they would support &Uch .restrictions, hut they wished it distinctly .to he understood that, if, at *any time the Dominions gent into Britain such large quantities as resulted in the prices of the British products being brought below the cost of production they would want the restriction applied to the Dominions also,

Mr Osborne pointed out that the butter' men were forging a two-edlged sword. One edge was being used today to cut off the foreigners, hut the other edge might bo applied to-morrow to cut off the Dominions’ supplies. He said: “We pressed for a restriction as a temporary expedient to meet the existing’ glut of supplies hut not as a permanent measure.” The opinion in the New Zealand circles is that .the butter settlement is far from satisfactory and that it must be regarded as only a temporary arlangement.