THE COMMON MARKET

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28421, 30 October 1957, Page 13

THE COMMON MARKET

Fears Held By Australia

(N Z Press Association—Copyright i (Rec. 11 p.m.) GENEVA, Oct 28 Australia feared that the European Common Market might raise trade barriers, particularly on agricultural products, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs Conference was told today.

The Deputy-Secretary of the Australian Trade Department Dr W. A. Westerman, said Australia could not see how minimum price controls on agricultural products within the Common Market could work effectively without internal and external trade restrictions. I “In effect it would appear io us that the (Common Market) Treaty holds out the real possibility of an aggregation and intensification of the restrictive and protective practices of the individual members,’-’ he said.

Australia would propose that G.A.T.T. recosnise that tariffs were neither the main nor the normal, nor in many circumstances suitable methods of agricultural protection. Therefore. Australia suggested that, on agriculture, the six Common Market nations should formulate their plans in detail and provide safeguards to ensure that the fruits of economic progress within the market could be shared with other contracting parties. 1 Australia also suggested consultations among the six member nations and a special committee of G.A.T.T. to deal with the problems of agricultural trade.

The President of the British Board of Trade. Sir David Eccles, told a press conference that Britain was not opposed tn the idea of the six-nation European Common Market as long as it did not conduct its trade at the expense of others. “I think the Common Market countries, by and large, mean to have an expanding and liberal integration of their economies. “It could go the other way, and we must see to it that their trade is not conducted in the direction of self-sufficiency, but is shared with the outside suppliers of Europe. "There is no fundamental op- ! position among the members of I G.A.T.T. to the idea of the Comi mon Market, providing it is inIsDired by the expansionists of [ G.A.T.T. and not to do trade at [the expense of others.*’