DUTCH GOODS IN N.Z.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 247, 31 July 1946, Page 3

DUTCH GOODS IN N.Z.

PORTION TO BE SOLD FOR EXPORT (P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 30. Although it was recently announced that all goods held by the Dutch Government in New Zealand would be liquidated because of the ban on the loading of Dutch shipping only a small proportion is to he sold in the near future, consisting of 335,000 toothbrushes, 88,000 cups, 96,000 saucers, 8500 shovels, and 36,000 razor blades. The goods are to be sold for export only to. keep faith with, the manufacturers, who were told that the goods were for use outside New- Zealand. The remainder of the goods, whieh consist chiefly of hospital and medical supplies, food and household hardware, is to be held indefinitely. Medical supplies originally stored in New Zealand by the Dutch were worth about £500,000, but a large part of these has already been shipped to the Netherlands East Indies.

“By the hold-up of Dutch, shipping New Zealand has missed a great chance of getting her goods' into the Netherlands East Indies,” said an oilicial of the Dutch Government. “We had intended to repeat the orders many times, but when the ban was imposed we naturally cancelled all additional orders we had placed.”

Many Auckland and other New Zealand manufacturers had already established worthwhile markets overseas in Malaya and other Eastern countries, said Mr J. Don, secretary of the Auckland Manufacturers’ Association. Manufacturers were fully alive to 1 the need for outside markets.