NEED OF STABILITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1943, Page 3

NEED OF STABILITY

IN MARKETING FOOD PRODUCTS NEW ZEALAND SUGGESTIONS TO CONFERENCE. POST-WAR INTERNATIONAL CONTROL. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) WASHINGTON, May 20. The memorandum which the New Zealand delegation to the International Food Conference has released declares that the general trade and monetary policies are relevant to the purpose of the Food Conference, inasmuch as the problem of malnutrition is a problem of poverty. The memorandum also warns against the scrapping of the war time controls too hastily, since, it states, a planned increase of production will be difficult unless it is based on stability of market value. Outlining the scope of a permanent organisation which the food conference should establish, the memorandum suggests:— 1. Submission, of recommendations to all the Allied Governments for the production of the commodities which will be required for post-war relief. 2. Collaboration with the International Labour Office in order to improve standards of living. 3. Examination of the possibility of international measures to augment purchasing power, including provisions for social security. family allowances, etc. The memorandum finally raises the question of whether a permanent organisation emanating from the food conference, such as an international food office, should not be confined to foodstuffs, leaving wool and cotton to be covered by separate organisations. However, all commodity organisations should be integrated in one international economic authority. Mr Richard Law, the chairman of the British delegation to the conference, declared that Britain favoured post-war international action to eliminate wide fluctuations of the prices of the basic agricultural, and. nonagricultural products. However, Mr Law did not suggest specific methods of achieving the price stability.

Another British delegate, Mr Robbins, emphasised that Britain did not favour pricefixing, but rather action designed to keep prices from swinging too high or too low. He added that it might be necessary to establish an international organisation to handle the price problem. The Associated Press of America says it is' doubtful whether the food conference will go as far as suggesting a method of establishing price stability, inasmuch as the heads of several of the delegations have urged that the conference should limit its recommendations to general principles, leaving ways and means to future discussions.