TRADE TALKS IN LONDON

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27473, 6 October 1954, Page 11

TRADE TALKS IN LONDON

Discussion Of G.A.T.T. (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON. October 4. More than 80 delegates representing the 50 countries and colonies within the British Commonwealth are gathering in London today for tomorrow’s opening of the most important Commonwealth trade conference for six years. The conference, to continue for about a week, will try to hammer out a joint Commonwealth policy on the future of the 34-nation General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade which is the postwar world’s “trading charter.” The Commonwealth delegates are meeting in advance of the ninth full session of G.A.T.T., beginning in Geneva on October 28. Many of them will fly home to their own capitals for further talks with their governments before going to Geneva for the crucial review of G.A.T.T., now six years old. Tomorrow morning ? s session will be concerned with a general review of the Geneva agenda. The bulk of the work will be handled by sub-committees and small informal meetings. A Board of Trade spokesman explained today: “We expect no prolonged rhetorical debate and no* unnecessary arguing the toss. The bulk of the agenda will be handled by small working parties.” The importance attached to this week’s conference by the Commonwealth countries is shown by the size of the delegations taking part. Britain has detached a team of 25 experts, led by Sir Frank Lee, Permanent Secretary at the Board of Trade.

Australian Contingent Australia has sent the largest overseas contingent with the Minister of Commerce (Mr John McEwen) and the Minister of Trade and Customs (Senator N. O’Sullivan) heading a party of 14 officials and representatives of Australian industrial and trading interests. Mr McEwen and Senator O’Sullivan will attend next month’s review of G.A.T.T. in Geneva. Canada has a delegation of eight. New Zealand’s delegation of five is led by Mr J. P. D. Johnsen, Controller of Customs. The British Commonwealth Producers’ Organisation disclosed today that it had sent a memorandum to the Board of Trade calling on the British Government to safeguard and extend Imperial Preference. The memorandum said: “In view of the favoured treatment accorded to such islapd possessions as Puerto Rica, the Virgin Islands and Hawaii by the United States, and to the French and Portuguese colonial territories by their metropolitan states, this organisation feels that the restrictions imposed on Britain by G.A.T.T. are invidious and should be removed.” The memorandum said: “Unless this can achieved dufring the coming G.A.T.T. discussions it will be imperative J° develop other means of safeguarding overseas producers from a flood of foreign produce which will overwhelm them in the event of a restorauon of dollar-sterling convertibility.”