WELCOME TO N.Z.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 645, 25 September 1933, Page 5

WELCOME TO N.Z.

FUNCTION IN WELLINGTON Wellington, Saturday Representatives of primary industries extended a welcome to-day to Mr. T. Baxter, representing the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales Mr. Polson, M.P., who presided, said it was not intended to have a formal discussion, but merely to offer a welcome to Mr. Baxter. It was felt that nothing but good could come of closer associations between New Zealand farmers and representatives of their fellow farmers in Britain. The problems of each were identical, and a heart to heart talk would enable each to appreciate the other's proposals. Mr. W. A. Iorns, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, said he had refrained from making any statement in regard to quotas or tariffs since his return from England in case he should embarrass Mr. Baxter. Speeches of Welcome Speeches of welcome were made by Mr. T. Duncan, acting chairman of the Meat Board, Mr. A. Morton, chairman of the National Dairy Association. Mr. N. Campbell, president of the Dairy Farmers' Union and Mr. F. White, who spoke on behalf of the South Island Dairy Association. Mr. B.axter said that he hoped to have the opportunity of explaining the whole position of the home producer and how essential it was that various commodities arriving on the English market should be regulated in some shape or form. Any holding off in regulation which could be done until the expiry of the Ottawa agreement, in his opinion, was only holding off the inevitable. "If you are going to carry out what you consented to at Ottawa — that the Home producer was entitled to first place in his own market, the Dominion to second place and the foreigner third — my first question," he said, "would be how can you carry that out if you glut the market and render it useless?"

No Earthly Use Since last October the market for butter and cheese in England had been no earthly use, said Mr. Baxter. Within two months of the Ottawa agreement the unexpected happened and there was a complete collapse. New Zealand was being asked to combine with the rest of the countries that supplied the English market with dairy produce with a view to removing the glut and restoring prices to a level at which all could live. Mr. Baxter said he came with the friendliest of intentions and his sole object was to try to help producers within the British Empire to get the best possible returns for what they produced. He was bound to tell thgm that the British Government could not aff ord to lose foreign trade. There were 2,500,000 unemployed, and unemployment would increase if more foreign trade were lost. The level of prices in England could only be raised immediately by some system of regulating the supplies on that market. 0 i _ .