The results of retail prices for quotas, voluntary agreements or import duties or tariffs are roughly the same. They can be regulated in such a way as to create the same price increase; The consumer, the city dweller, the housewife 1161 will have to pay the same amount for imported bacon, beef or sheep meat, whether the government uses voluntary quotas or agreements or ordinary import or customs duties. It is important to recognize that the quota is also a tax on food and that these voluntary agreements to reduce the amount of food imported in order to create artificial shortages and food shortages are used to raise food prices here. You cannot evade the charge of increasing food prices if you do so through a quota or these voluntary import restriction agreements, nor if you do so with ordinary tariffs. Over the past two days, I have been very amused to read in the 1162 newspapers that representatives of these shipping companies or foreign exporters or foreign countries have been lenient enough to help the government reach these agreements and that they are prepared to accept a voluntary restriction on their imports. Of course they have it. They knew very well that the alternative was a tariff and that if they could accept a voluntary restriction, they would take full advantage of the increases in the cost of imported meat, whereas if there was a tariff, they would receive only a small part of that increase. I wonder that they did not wait for more proposals for the government. Article 9 deals with the duration of agreements and stipulates that the Ministry of Finance must determine when the agreements are no longer in force. Section 10 1130 provides for the presentation in the House of Commons of tariff regulations and orders on other matters before both chambers and to require the approval of resolutions by all Members. Article 11 gives the existing advisory committee the power to refer to specific issues.
Section 14 deals with the length of the law and provides that the law will be maintained as long as one of the agreements remains in force. The reason for this provision is that the agreements, as you like, last five years, but then they can continue after five years, unless they are denounced by either party. There is also, as I should have reminded your gentlemen, a provision in the agreements that, if it turns out, before the five years, that there are things that have an undue effect on either party, there will be an opportunity to consult with the governments concerned. It is always a question of creating, in detailed agreements of this kind, which deal with a very wide range of subjects, something that had not been foreseen and which can lead to difficulties. The provision of the consultation is intended to clarify, within the framework of the agreement, that, in the case of the treaty, it is not envisaged that any of the governments concerned will be accused of any attempt to evade its obligations when it brings to the attention of the other party the difficulties encountered.