SCRAP-IRON EMBARGO

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 33, 2 November 1937, Page 3

SCRAP-IRON EMBARGO

-Press Assooiation.)

Mr. Savage and Japanese Interviewer

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Referenee to the Tokio cablo message published on Saturday and reporting some details of an interview between the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage} and Mr. Bunshirow Suzuki, a director.of the Asahi newspapers, was made at the week-end by Mr. Savage. He said he told Mr. Suzuki that he looked forward to the time when New Zealand Ministers would meet the representatives of the Japanese, to find out what they could take from Japan, for it was better to do things in that way than to set up customs barriers between countries. "As for the steel industry," added Mr. Savage, "I explained to the Japanese interviewer that already a company had made overtures f or. its deve--lopment in the Dominion, that we had tremendous quantities of iron ore, and that we had already been advised by our experts that if New Zealand intended to create a steel industry ita export of scrap iron had been overdone. it was for that reason that the Government came to the decision to stop the exporjb of scrap iron to any country." " The Tokio cablegram was as followsi: j Mr. Bunshirow Suzuki, a director of j the Asahi .Newspapers, cabled from Wellington an interview with the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, who said the { embargo on the export of scrap-iron J was not intended as anti-Japanese discrimination, but wag to protect New Zealand's own steel industry. Mr. Savage added that he-desired to foster Japanese trade, but British must come tirst. . Mr. Suzuki commented: ' "As j^ew Zealand is without a steel induscry to protect, it seems that Mr. Savage placed the embargo to placat'e the Labourites and forestall worse action by the-latter."