OTTAWA PROGRAMME

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 286, 28 July 1932, Page 5

OTTAWA PROGRAMME

(Pi-ess. Assn.

a further survey .mr bennett emerges as strong man of conference. PRESS CRITICISMS.

— By Telegraph— Copyright).

OTTAWA, Wednesday. An autlioritative survey of Canada's conference programme regarding which the utmost optimism persists, indicates that she is in an excellent position to mafce a fair deal with Britain, balancing the cohcessions given witK grants received. The newspapers are straying from the triith in hinting that Canada is riot facing the conference with a united front. Mr. R. B. Bennett, Prime Minister, is thoroughly gratified with the progress made, and does not contemplate the possibility of failure. Canad is also vitally interested, like Australia, in protecting the timber tx-ade against Russian dumping, especialxy as recent United States tariffs have aggravated the slump in the Canadian lumber industry. United States newspapers predict that as a result of the Ottawa arrangement Canada will reduce her anthracite coal purchases from the Uifited States by 25 per cent., uixde-r a plan v/hereby Canada is seeking to extend her timber marlcet in Britain in exchange for purchasing lax-ger quantities of British coal. Canhda in 1931 impox'ted 2,903,000 tons of anthi'acite, of which the United States supplied 1,966,000 tons and Britain 871,000 tons. - Canada is further interested in copper and cheese, affld to a less de- ? •gree in buttei', because she cannot : compete with New Zealand and Australia for quality. Canada has cobperated during the past few days in the Empire butter proposals, which are likely to be conceded in a slightly amended form, although the final decision has been postponed un- ' til a later stage, when bargaining on 'the whole range of comxnodxties will become co-ordinated. Copper axid cheese have not been diseussed. Extexxt of the Concessioxis There 5s coxxsiderable speculation as to the exfcent of the concessions which Canada will give British manufacturex's. Ixxcreasing ixxiportance is attached to Mi\ Bennett's opening statement, that "those Canadian industries which have now reached maturity under the protective tariff and are cornpeting in the world's markets must suppol't adjustnrants with Britain, because of the great advantages obtaining for exporters of natural products." Mr. Bennett has already emerged as Canada's strong xuan, and in view of this unequivocal statement it is expected that ha will succeed in convincing the secondary industries that they must be satisfted with a smaller xneasure of protection. Some Canadian newspapers comment inaccux-ately that the British !. delegation is divided between free trade and protection, whereas the fundamental object of the conference ; is to readjust preferences They describe Mr. Walter Runciman as still an ardent free trader, and Mr. Stanley Baldwin as leanixig in that dir- ! ection, while Mr. Neville Chamber- ' lain is a stalwart chaxnpion of his 1 illustrious father's policy. The British j delegation resents the imputation that : team work at Ottawa is ixxxperilled by | former individual views. The delegates have adopted a national outlook, or rather Empire outlook, wlxich frankly admits that the position is hopeless unless all units can agree on a policy of mutual helpfulness.