EMPIRE PRODUCE

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20508, 26 May 1938, Page 10

EMPIRE PRODUCE

DECISIONS OF CONFERENCE MR MULHOLLAND’S DEFENCE SHARE OF MARKETING (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday A review of the resolutions passed at jhe Empire Producers’ Conference at Sydney was given by the Dominion president of the New Zealand Farmers’ union, Mr W. W. Mulholland, at the annual inter-provincial conference of the union. ‘‘The first of the series deals with what is known as the Ottawa order of preference; that is, the home producer first, the Empire pro.ducer second and the foreign producer third,” said Mr Mulholland. “ The second resolution accepts the need for securing an expansion of Dominion supplies of primary products to the United Kingdom market as far as is economically possible. The question of whether a larger share of the British market can be given to the Dominions at the expense of foreign producers involves two vital economic considerations. Firstly, the Dominions’ willingness to take British goods in exchange; secondly, the Dominions’ ability to replace the export trade lost by Britain by her limitation of foreign exports. Continuity of Supplies “The third, fourth and fifth resolutions,” continued Mr Mulholland, “aim at the orderly marketing of Empire primary products in order to maintain a continuity of supplies, and to prevent avoidable gluts and the resultant instability of price levels and speculation. The sixth resolution aims at finding new markets for Empire producers by (using the economic strength of the Empire as a whole. “Mr W. Goodfellow, and those associated with him, who are trying to discredit the conference's findings, refer rather scornfully to this resolution, while actually the commercial organisation with whose control Mr Goodfellow is closely associated is exploring markets for dairy produce, particularly in the East, which it is supplying from Australia to the exclusion of New Zealand. Mr Goodfellow has suggested all sorts of evil in the attempt to co-ordinate the regulation of supplies to the British market to avoid large arrivals at inconvenient times, but his organisation was established for accomplishing that purpose in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.”

STRONG OBJECTIONS MR GOOD FELLOW’S REPLY COMMODITY COUNCILS OPPOSED (Special to Times) AUCKLAND, Thursday “I regret to say that Mr Mulholland’s statement is both untrue and unfair but this Is probably due to his lack of knowledge of the dairy industry,” stated Mr W. Goodfellow last evening, replying to Mr Mulholland's speech at the Farmers’ Union conference. “The businesses with which I am associated cannot be adversely affected by the establishment of commodity councils,” Mr Goodfellow added. “Therefore, my objections are not personal. Empire Dairies, Limited, does not sell Australian dairy produce in the East. It. is a company registered in London and its trading in Empire products is confined exclusively to the United Kingdom. Amalgamated Dairies, Limited, sells New Zealand dairy produce exclusively in active competition with Australian in the East. “My strong objections to the suggested Empire dairy comnodity councils in London are based on experience and knowledge of marketing,” said Mr Goodfellow. “The National Farmers’ Union of the United Kingdom, which put this idea forward in Sydney recently, is a well-organised body "with considerable political influence. It represents about 10 per cent of the population of Great Britain, who are mainly dairy farmers supplying milk to the remaining population. The union first proposed this idea at Ottawa in 1932, and later it sent a representative to New Zealand to endeavour to arrange a voluntary quota. “They then persuaded Major Elliot to tax Empire butter and cheese by 10 per cent, but when Empire representatives objected the British Government provided a milk subsidy instead. Finally, the union brought the plan up again in Sydney,” he added. “For New Zealand to join an Empire producers’ council to meet in London and also an international dairy producers’ conference would be extremely unwise and simply asking for trouble.”