RUSSIAN TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 28

RUSSIAN TRADE.

A SOVIET VIEW. GENEVA, May 18. “If you want Soviet orders you must not object to Soviet exports,” said Al. Litvinoff, addressing a commission which is studying the economic crisis. He declared that the Soviet was willing to participate in an international conference for the abolition of dumping for the purpose of ensuring that there should be no difference between domestic and export prices. Dumping was one of the results of Capitalism. The Soviet was not sharing the world depression. On the contrary, Russia was progressing unprecedentedly, and was developing her exports, which was essential if the Soviet was to continue purchasing abroad. Al. Litvinoff attributed the world crisis to monopolies keeping up prices and preventing the absorption of stocks, increased taxation due to the growth of armaments, higher tariffs, a reduction in the people’s purchasing power owing to the burden of war debts, and the unequal distribution of gold reserves pressing upon countries suffering from a gold shortage. He asserted that the Soviet was only commencing to regain her place in the world's markets. BRITISH BUTTER IMPORTATIONS. LONDON, May 19. Answering criticisms in regard to dumped Russian butter, Air T. Volic (chairman of Selosoyus, Limited, a Russian trading concern) declared that the total importations in 1930 were only 2.42 per cent, (or 8272 tons) of the United Kingdom's imports. In the first four months of 1931 the amount imported was only 84 tons. In the House of Commons Air William Graham (President of the Board of Trade) said that the great bulk of the Russian butter imported here was blended with other butter, and had not a separate retail price. Replying to Sir N. Gratton Doyle in the House of Commons, Air W. Graham (President of the Board of Trade) said a comparison of Britain’s trade with Russia and with New Zealand last year 1 was: Imports from Russia £34,254,000, exports to Russia, £9,346,000; New Zealand, £44,939,000 and £18,632,000. PRODUCTION ON MODERN LINES. LONDON, Alay 24.

Air H. Davis, manager for the New Zealand Dairy Board, speaking at Cambridge, emphasised the real significance of the Russian butter imports. He said it lay in the potentialities of the Ukraine, where dairies were reorganising od modern lines, including fleets of motor trucks, refrigerating vans, and the importation of stud animals from all parts of Europe. Preparations were being made for a big increase in production under labour conditions not tolerable in the British Empire. All this threatened to swamp the Empire within five years.