The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1932. OTTAWA AND AFTER.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1932. OTTAWA AND AFTER.

After a very strenuous period the Ottawa Conference has come to a conclusion.. Even if it has not been as successful as it was at first hoped to be the outcome should be such as to give promise of a decided improvement in the relations of the various portions of the Empire. There have been many differences of opinion voiced during, the progress of the Conference, bait the creditable fact jemains that from first to last nothing was said i ll public which ©hould be wished unsaid. That is something to be thankful for; for the British peoples have already had one warning against an Empire Conference conducted with the methods of the market-place. Concerning the value and the significance of what has been done by the Conference there is, as might be expected, considerable difference of opinion. “In less than a month,” says “The Times,” “the Conference lias stopped the drift towards the economic isolation of the Empire’s unities and has secured tlio general adoption of economic co-opera-tion.” The Ottawa correspondent of the “Man tester on the other hand thinks that the proceedings “have* brought disillusionment and discouragement to those hoping that Ottawa would be but the beginning of & vast scheme ' of Imperial

.economic . unity,” and prophesies that Great Britain will find her commitments most difficult to carry out. At the moment there is hardly enough information to justify either of those statements. Not only have the delegations been guarded ih their announcements of what has been agreed on, but it is also appnrert that most of the agreement:; are only in skeleton form. Much detailed work will have to be done before it wdl be possible to •. forecast the results intelligently. The negotiations for a British preference on Dominion meat, which acquired a dramatic interest cut of proportion to th<?ir importance, have ended in Great Britain’s agreeing to apply a quota to beef imports from Argentina. For the, next five years, it seems, the volume of British imports of Argentine bbef annually will be restricted to the total for the year tmd-r ed June, 1932. In 1931 New Zealand exported only 150,814 quarters of beef a"d .even Australia’s beef exports amount to only about 2 per'cent, of her total exports ; so that the arrangement is not likely to do more than give much needed assistance to a small .class of farmers. It is further announced that restrictions will also be placed on. British {imports of mutton *nd lamb, though no indication Is ’given of their extent. .• GenerHly .‘jneakiri g It i.s saitisffictor y to fircl that some conclusions of a definite nature have baton eomo toi' These decisions should have a decldodlv beneficial. result on Empire trade and should mutually affect the. component parties. Time will be required before the actiml results of the Conference can be actually gauged.