§ 4. Brigadier-General CLIFTON BROWNasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in order to diminish the glut on the home market and to increase inter-Imperial trade, he will make arrangements with the Colonies to import their processed milk products from the Dominions instead of the foreign-manufactured milk products which they now import?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which I gave yesterday to a similar question by the hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald) of which I am sending him a copy.
Brigadier-General BROWNI read that. If the right hon. Gentleman gets no help from the Colonies with regard to the glut of dairy products on the English market, what steps do the Government propose to take to fulfil their promises to raise the price to the home producer?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERMy hon. and gallant Friend is entirely wrong in saying that no steps have been taken. There was very close consultation at Ottawa about the whole of these products, and a very large new preference was 1083 given in all the Colonies for which it was asked. That step was taken six months ago.
Brigadier-General BROWNIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Ottawa Agreements, instead of raising prices, have lowered them both to Dominion and home producers?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERMy hon. and gallant Friend is asking about the Colonial markets, which have nothing whatever to do with the Dominion markets. What the Dominions asked for was that in the Colonial markets a certain preference at a certain rate should be given. Those preferences have been given by every Colony that was invited to do so.