EXPLANATION BY MR ALGIE

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27794, 20 October 1955, Page 13

EXPLANATION BY MR ALGIE

“N.Z. HAS ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES”

(New ZealanA Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 19. The Acting Minister of External Affairs (Mr R. M. Algie) said tonight that earlier this year the Cabinet agreed to make available to the Colombo Plan £1,000.000 for the year beginning on July 1 last. In effect, the grant was an extension of New Zealand’s original undertaking to provide a total of £3,000,000 spread over three years at the rate of about £1,000,000 a year. During the three-year period, however, the whole of the money originally allocated was not spent, and at the end of the term something like £500,000 remained in hand, said Mr Algie. The capital works programme provided for under the Colombo Plan was a very extensive one, and covered a number of big projects. It took some time to get the plan in working order, and that was why some of the monies allocated remained unspent. “It -is now proposed that the £500,000 unspent at the end of the last financial year shall be added to the £1,000,000 voted for the current year,” said Mr Algie. ”It might be asked why we are making provision for this additional expenditure. The answer is that more countries have come into the plan, and those who signed the Manila Treaty, including New Zealand, have taken on some additional responsibilities. “The technical assistance programme is something additional to the capital works programme of the Colombo Plan. Under it we envisage the training of citizens of certain Asian countries 50 that they will be able to help themselves. Some of this training is given in New Zealand to students who come here for the purpose, and I would agree with Mr Macdonald that this aspect of the work is highly important and very beneficial. I would think that the maximum amount expended under this heading in any one year would be between £70,000 and £80,000,” Mr Algie said.