The Prospects for Ottawa
Mr. George Lambert, who sits for a Devonshire consti- tuency, asked the Minister of Agriculture on Monday whether Ise was aware that Devon producers had been obliged to hold supplies of butter off the market owing to heavy imports of New Zealand butter. The Minister for Agriculture said the discussions at Ottawa would bear on such subjects as this. Mr. S. M. Bruce, speaking in the 'Australian Parliament at Canberra on Tuesday, said he refused to believe that Great Britain meant at Ottawa to withdraw her 10 per cent. preference to the Dominions unless the Dominions greatly increased their preferences to her. The preference is, in fact, 20 per cent. on most commodities, and the avowed British intention is to reduce it failing adequate reciprocity by the several Dominions. Both Canadian and Australian manufacturers arc already sounding warnings against the grant of too much prefer- ence for British manufactures, and British primary pro- ducts (except coal) do not enter into the question. The Ottawa discussions are bound to be difficult as well as delicate, and it may well be that a monetary agreement, such as Sir Josiah Stamp has been advocating this week, is more practicable than new customs agreements of any substance. It will be wise, at any rate, not to key expec- tations in the latter field too high.
* * * *
