HC Deb 03 July 1934 vol 291 cc1757-60W

The Brewer members of the Committee desire to bring to the attention of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and to place on record the following objections to the report which they have made throughout the proceedings of the Committee, notwithstanding that they have signed the report in their desire to assist the Minister in arriving at a working arrangement for the marketing of hops:

  1. 1. Brewers are opposed to the principle of the limitation of the production of English hops as provided for in the amendments to the Hops Marketing Scheme, 1932, whereby quotas for individual growers are fixed;
  2. 2. Brewers consider that the difficulties which the said amendments make for the entry of new producers of hops, confer a practical monopoly on the existing growers which is not in the interests of the hop industry generally; and
  3. 3. Brewers are opposed to the limitation of the import of hops, as they believe that since the imposition of the £4 per cwt. duty, the use of foreign hops has never materially affected the English hop industry.

(Intld.) E. S.

This letter and statement were communicated by me to the Hops Marketing Board, the other party to the Agreement, and I have received from the board a letter in the following terms:—

The Hops Marketing Board,

30–33, Central Buildings,

Southwark Street,

London, S.E.1.

29th June, 1934.

Sir,

We have to thank you for your letter of 27th June and copy of the letter of the Brewers' Society to you of 23rd June.

We were aware that the Brewers' Society wished to record their dislike of the principles underlying the regulation of output, and we must consider this letter as an indication of their desire to have their attitude officially noted.

We fear, however, that this letter may be used in a manner prejudicial to the good relations between ourselves and the Brewers' Society. It will be recalled that in the preliminary state of the negotiation an understanding was reached that if a satisfactory agreement could be concluded between the Brewers' Society and the Hops Marketing Board the opposition of the former to the Quota Amendments now before Parliament would not be pressed.

If the opponents of the Quota Amendments attempt to use this letter as a weapon of attack, it might create the false impression that the Brewers' Society were in some way responsible for this and were therefore not keeping faith. Such an impression would engender suspicion and resentment and make the task of the Joint Committee in working the agreement more difficult.

While we think it our duty to call attention to this danger, we desire to assure you that we ourselves are convinced that the representatives of the Brewers' Society who have signed the report and the agreement intend to live up to their undertaking and to make every effort to work the new arrangements to the mutual interest of all parties concerned, with the same loyalty which we ourselves will bring to this task.

Yours faithfully,

(Signed) CECIL M. HIGGINS

(on behalf of the Chairman).

The Minister of Agriculture,

10, Whitehall Place,

S.W.1.