MEAT TARIFFS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1932, Page 4

MEAT TARIFFS

EMPIRE WIDE REVIEW URGED.

DISCUSSION IN THE COMMONS

'United Prsso Association— )y Electric

Telegraph—( opyrigut.)

LONDON, November 8. Speaking in the House'of Commons', Major Eliiot, for the Government, said that the fundamental question of meat and live stock could not be tackied until it had been reviewed by the Empire as a whole. The expansion of the Dominions’ meat supplies had been very considerable. The Government he said, recognised now the ’ine-gency of the position] l 'and had bent their minds strenuously ■ to solve tl& difficulty with which this country was faced. Following iip6h a meeting with Hon, W. R. Runciman and himself, the River Plate (Argentine) importer* were prepared to put into effect at once a cut of twenty per cent, in the supplies of mutton and lamb they were sending to Britain, in addition to: immediate reductiiin in their chilled beef exports pf ten per cent. . The British importers, he said] hoped latejto increase the reduction in their beef imports to twenty per cent.

Major Elliott said that negotiations were now in progress with the Scan* dinaviah countries to secure an imme* diate reduction in" 'the', bacon and ham imports to Britain by twenty per cent. Consultations" had also taken place, he added, with the representative* oi Australia and pL Zealand, ivho had intimated that they were prepared to co-operate in bringing about a. reduction of ten per cent, in the Australian and New Zealand supplies ot mutton and lamb which would in the coming months be available to Britain. Major Elliott said: j( “To go to. the Dominions and say that we are putting a tariff upon them would seem to conflict with all of the principles that they were, seeking to establish at Ottawa.”

The present .problem, be said, involved the restriction cf supplies, from altl sources —from South America, Australia, New Zealand and . Scandinavia, all of these being sources with whom Britain ‘‘desired .to negotiate trade agreements; and,.jin all cases, it was urgently necessary... .that filiey should carry these great customers .along with them. The (government was most anxious that no step should be taken in a harsh or careless spirit.

BRITAIN AND ARGENTINE.

LONDON, November 8.: ' In his statement in the House of' Commons regarding i meat, Majolr Elliott, dealing with the present emergency, said the British Government: had taken, the view .that arrangements ' affecting . a trade like ifneat- could be better carried through'voluntarily by business men who were conversant with the trade than % the Govern* went Departments equipped with arbitrary powers, . r With regard to their imports of chilled beef, the River Plate (Argentine) importers had that day explained that there was a physical impoesi. v bility to reducing their supplies during Novembei and December by 20 per cent., as four weeks* chilled meat supplies were already afloat, and the cattle for the fifth week had been killed.

He said that on the question of curtailing the meat marketings from the British cold stores, the representatives of the Dominions’ Governments had expressed a willingness to co-operate in finding practicable methods of securing the objects in view. The position in regard to the Dominions, he said, required the utmost care in handling. In that handling they had the assistance of the Dominions Secretary, Mr J. H. Thomas. He stated that the JETt. Hon. W. C. Runciman (President of the Board of Trade) had conferred with the representatives of the Australian and New Zealand, Governments on the,, .present deplorable situation, with the result that the British Government had reason to believe that there would be an immediate reduction of 10 per cent, in the exports of New Zealand and Australian meat as compared, with the corresponding period of 1931., ; N.Z. CHAIRMAN’S VIEWS, CHRISTCHURCH, November 8. Referring to ■ the * meat, quota cable Mr D. Jones said: “Already the Information has had a. healthy effect on the British meat market, and to-day the price of lanib in England advanced oy three-eighths of a penny per pound.” Mr Jones, who is chairman of the Meat Board, and commenting on the cablegram, said that the news of an advance in prices ;flnd also details ot restrictions that were to be imposed in November and December were received by the Meat Board by cablegram from its London office to-day. He said that the exports of meat from Australia and New Zealand to. Britain during the months of November and Decemher were to be restricted to 10 per cent, less than the quantity that was exported for the same period of 1931. This; however, would actually have little restrictive effect, said Mr Jones, because in recent months meat had been shipped rapidly from New Zealand, and the indications were that, in any circumstances, the meat exports from New Zealand in the next two months would not exceed last year’s figures. t