The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1932. CONTROL OF MEAT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1932. CONTROL OF MEAT

For.lowing the recent Ottawa Cmifcrcnco 11 been made clear tiiat tin re tbo interests of th e pa,toral industry throughout tile, Empire were made the banis of the quota, agreement concluded, .ana!.it was considered then that acion at th 0 beginning of next your would be soon enough to rescue wholesale prices from the low levels to which tney had fallen. In the House of •Commons the Miniver of Agriculture described a. situation in British farm-, ing which lie claimed to a.piount to a desperate emergency. In fact lie said the “crisis was as grave as had ever faced the country,” and on that basis he had planned remedial action. It is , quite clear from what has been said chat though the calamitous fall in | wholesale meat prices which inspired the Government to act was felt by every country which looks to , the United Kingdom as a market, fit was the position of the British farmer that was held to lie at stake. At Ottawa it was made plain that in all the agreements covering farm products the first objective was to help British farming, the next to : give the Dominion's an assured and’ increasing slums in the. impenn trade. When the 'Minister c r Agriculture was ’ describing to the House of Commons how prices had fallen between June and November, it was suggested to him that competition from the Dominions was the prime cause. He agreed that such competition was serious, hut fortunately for the interests of the exporting Dominions, he took a wider view of the subject. Major Elliot refused to consider the position hv comparing supplies of lamb or mutton or beef with quantities available, in other years. He took the meat position as a whole, and 'suggested with good reason that the pig-breeders of Denmark, Scandinavia and further east were even mere serious competitors of the "Welsh sheepfarmer than were the producers of mutton and’ lamb in Australia and New Zealand. The Minister said the market was glutted because the supply of meat, all categories counted, had increased 7 per cent, in two years, during which period 1,000, C00 more ,people had become, unemployed. The power of consumption had fallen, while the supply had risen. But, as he pointed out, if meat supplies as a. whole were considered, the consumption amounted to about 3,000,000 tons a year. About 360,000 tons were imported from Australia and New Zealand and about 63,000 tons from South America. But from Denmark thoro came 388,000 tons, or more than from Australia and New Zealand combined. It is fortunate that the position was viewed in this perspective, otherwise the suggestion that the Dominions were the chief competitors of the British livestock farmer might have created a very difficult .situation for Empire trade. The point which Empire producers need to appreciate is that- though scrupulous care was taken to prevent their role as competitors from being exaggerated, the need to reduce competition with the domestic livestock farmer might have created a very difficult situation for Empire trade. The point which Empire producers need to appreciate i.s that though scrupulous care was taken to prevent- their vole as competitors from hejng exaggerated, the need to redim,. competition with the domestic livestock industry, from whatever source it came, was accepted as a principle and given expression. H iis a principle Britain has to be conceded without argument, heuiuse all Iho Dominions a.-Vure to it tVmsclvcn. It need he the basis of no alarmist d' dm-Hou.s, hi t : t riieu'd he cWiui i d v re dried IV't now restrictions are hejng placed on the British market for farm produce, the fmst benefit fc will be that to the British fa nner.