BRITAIN’S BARGAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1933, Page 8

BRITAIN’S BARGAIN

TRADE TREATY WITH DENMARK

There is & general expression of opinion in the iLondon trade newspapers jcet to hand that in negotiating the trade treaty with. Denmark (treat Britain .obtained the better of the bargain. The Manchester Guardian Commercial says: The British negotiators have used their bargaining weapons' with devastating effect in this first agreement concluded since the Imperial Conference. In practically every category of goods in which the United Kingdom is interested concessions, by tariff or "by buying agreement'; have been made by the Danes;'in exchange their agricultural exports to this country are not to be restricted,' ‘‘except in so far as may be necessary to secure the effective operation of a. scheme or schemes for the regulation of the’ marketing of domestic Supplies of these products” —which seems hardly a satisfactory •arrangement for Denmark. In the event'of reductions in the permissible quantities of 'exports being made. Denmark is to be allowed to send a minimum of '2,3oo,odocwt. of butter a year—last year’s import of Danish buter was 2,583,0C0cwt. —and the existing import duty of 15s a hundredweight is retained: her allocation of bacon imports would not be Ices than 62 per cent of the total from foreign countries—approximately her present share—but no specific minimum quantity is guaranteed! The arrangements concerning eggs and cream are in laugh the same strain. On the ether

hand, BHtigh heavy industries have fared extremely well; Denmark is to buy here 80 per cent of her total imports of coal, which means an increase of well over 100,000 tons a year, and her imports of British iron and steel, it is expected, will be at least doubled. The textile industries may he less pleased with their tariff concessions’, but a multitude cf the smaller trades should benefit by the agreement.