N.Z. IMPORTS OF MOTOR-CYCLES NOT STOPPED

Grey River Argus, 14 April 1948, Page 5

N.Z. IMPORTS OF MOTOR-CYCLES NOT STOPPED

Minister Corrects Unfound Allegation

WELLINGTON, April 13.

A denial that New Zealand was refusing to permit the importation of motor cycles from the United Kingdom was given by the Minister of Customs. R't. Hon. W. Nash, referring tonight to a cable message from London, stating that a spokesman for the B.S.A. Company had complained that New Zealand was refusing to allow importation of his company’s motor-cycle products. The Minister said that this statement was incorrect.

Mr Nash added that a perusal of the import license schedule for the 19-18 period wold show that licenses for the imports of these machines from the United Kingdom were being granted for amounts that are equivalent to the amounts of the licenses 'that were granted for the importation of similar goods from the same source in 1946. This was equivalent to the value of the applicants’ imports of such machines from the United Kingdom in 1938.

“So far from New Zealand haying banned the importation of motor cycles made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company, said Mr Nash, “the position is that the New Zealand distributors of these particular motor cycles have been granted licenses fo r 1948 for amounts sufficient to allow reasonable numbers of these machines to be imported. It is noted that it is stated in th e cable that upon the matter being referred to the United Kingdom Board of Trade, information was given to the effect that it was not correct to assume that the present New Zealand restrictions are in accord with the wishes of the United Kingdom Government.

“While it is correct to say that the extent to which New Zealand restricts the imports of any particular commodity is entirely her own concern, we have been requested |by the United Kingdom Government to limit our total imports as far as practicable, to the overseas funds which become available to us as current income.”

There can be no doubt that, by limiting our imports to the amount of our current income, we are meeting the wishes of the United Kingdom Government. . “That has been made quite clear in repeated exchanges of views within the last few months. The complaint that New Zealand has refused to permit the importation of motor vehicles from the United Kingdom is unfounded.”