WITH NO POLICY?

Chronicle (Levin), 26 February 1947, Page 7

WITH NO POLICY?

-Press Association

Government Silent on Vital Trade Issues

By Telegravn—

WELLINGTON, Eeb. 25. "The Prime Minister has stated that deeisions on issues of great importance to New Zealand vvould be made at the eoniing ' international conference on trade aud employment, ' ' said Mr. C. M. Bowden, Al.P., Karori, " and if so it would apjiear to be imperative that the people o£ New Zealand should luiow precisely wliere the Government stands on sueh matters. Yet neither Parliament nor the peojile have been given thej slightest inforination- eoncerning the views whieh Alr. Nash may put forward wliilst overseas. it is gratifying that on this oecasion the Minister wiil have associated witli him representatives ofmanufacturers and primary produeers whose interests may be vitally afi'ected by the discussions. Though presumably acting only as. advisers, it is possible that 011 tlieir return they will re[iort to tlieir respective organisations' and the 'people will thus obtain rather tnore inforination 011 wliat lias transpired tlian was usual after a Alinister's return froiu conferenees of the past. ' ' The Prime Alinister indicated tliat the future of New Zealand 's tariff preferences in tlie lluited Kingdom and other Coinmonwealth ■ eountries would be.invoived and the preferences enjoyed by United Kingdom and New Zealand." It is very pertinent to ask the Government 's views on the subject of imperial preferences whicli has been New Zealand 's traditional poiiey in the past. An indic-ation has been given that entry may be soug'ht to new markets and it would be of interest to know if the Government 's policy will he to attempt to sell New Zealand produce direct to United States of America, for instance, in order to obtain dollars to unance presenc or entarged purcnases from that coilntry. If so wbat becomes of the bulk purchase arrangements already entered into for the purchase by United Kingdom of New Zealand 's dairy produce and meat over the next t'our years on which arrangement the whole guaranteed price policy of the Government is based? What of import control which the Government has stated will remain part of lts .policy? How does this square with the aim to abolish or relax controls in order to. establish and promote a higher level international trade and employment to which New Zealand had subscribed under a mutual aid agreement? "No lndieation has been given of the views of the Government on matters of international linance sucli as tlie monetary fund and world bank established under the Bretton Woods agreement. In tlie uncertaLnties of the immediate future it is abundantly clcar that notliing is of more importanee to New Zealand than the production botli from farm and factory. The problems of production in New Zealand are beconiing increasingly serious and in addition to the duty of tlie Government to take the people into its eonfidence 011 the subject of international trade arraiigements, there is also the duty to give soine indication of liow it proposes to deal with our intemal problems."