§ 43. Sir P. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture the results of the Empire Producers' Conference at Sydney, especially as bearing upon British policy?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThe Conference passed a series of important resolutions on problems affecting the marketing of primary products, the text of which, with my hon. Friend's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The resolutions recommend, inter alia, the establishment by producers' organisations of commodity councils on the lines of the Empire Beef Council and International Beef Conference. The next step contemplated by the Sydney Conference is for the producers' organisations throughout the British Commonwealth of Nations to consider the resolutions and to decide whether they are prepared to endorse them. In the meantime they are receiving my right hon. Friend's careful and sympathetic consideration.
§ Mr. Craven-EllisIf these resolutions are endorsed, will it result in Australia sending more food produce to this country, and, if so, will it be at the expense of British farmers or of foreign exporters?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThat sounds very much like a hypothetical question.
§ Following are the Resolutions:
- 1. That this conference accepts the Ottawa "order of preference," i.e., that the local producer is entitled to first place in his local market; other Empire producers second place, and foreign producers third.
- 2. That this conference accepts the need for securing the expansion of Dominion supplies of primary products to the United Kingdom market so far as is economically possible.
- 3. That this conference accepts the need for orderly marketing of Empire primary products in order to maintain continuity of supplies and to prevent avoidable gluts and resultant instability of price levels and speculation.
- 4. Accordingly this conference recommends that Empire producers' organisations shall co-operate to establish such commodity councils as may be deemed necessary, producer controlled and financed, the representation thereon being on the lines of the Empire Beef Council and International Beef Conference set up under the (United Kingdom) Livestock Industry Act, 1937, and the decisions of which to be effective shall be unanimous.
- 5. That it should be the duty of such councils, where established, to assist in, and advise their constituent organisations with reference to, such regulation of the flow of supplies of primary products to the United Kingdom market as may be necessary—for example, to avert restrictive action under statute by the United Kingdom Government, it being understood that for purposes of the regulation of supplies full use shall be made of all existing producers' export organisations in the Dominions.
- 6. That this conference recommends that each and every commodity council, as and when established, shall take all necessary steps to institute a continuing survey of conditions affecting available supplies and markets in Imperial and foreign countries and, in consultation with Empire Ministers, shall take the necessary action to secure the expansion of existing, and the creation of new markets with the object of the absorption of Empire surpluses.