ARRIVAL AT HAREWOOD

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29227, 10 June 1960, Page 17

ARRIVAL AT HAREWOOD

Swedish Minister Designate Christchurch International Airport provided a pleasant surprise for the minister designate for Sweden in New Zealand (Mr Olof Ripa) when he landed at Harewood yesterday afternoon from Melbourne. Mr Ripa was in the Dominion about four and a half years ago for about 10 months, when he managed to see most of the country with the exception of the West Coast. “After the then wooden terminal where I once waited for an hour or so in pouring rain, the present structure is a great improvement and a pleasant surprise,” he said. Mr Ripa said Sweden would do her best to try and improve trade relations with New Zealand and he expressed the hope that this would be a reciprocal

"Trade in Europe Is booming now, which means there is a much quicker turnover in many countries. Sweden’s external trade is doing very nicely and it would be good If we found prospects for extension here,” he said Although his country had followed New Zealand closely in the development of social welfare legislation, Sweden had more or less caught up with the Dominion “but not with perhaps such generous benefits.” A new development in Sweden two years ago regarding old age pensions caused much controversy at the time, he said. Regardless of personal wealth an old age pension is payable in Sweden when a man reaches 67 years. “The new development was for the payment of a set amount annually, but over a period of 20 years we will change it so that instead of having a fixed amount each year, the pension will be determined on each individual case,” he said.

"Taking the year of the highest income earned during the previous 15 years we will pay out 60 per cent of that year’s income," said Mr Ripa. "The old system will run parallel until the change is completed.” Mr Ripa, who joined the Swedish Foreign Service 20 years ago, has served in various parts of the world, including Great Britain, Holland, Japan, Persia, Turkey, and for the last four years in Canada.

It had always amused him that Industrial development and electrification in New Zealand was geographically opposite to that of Sweden. There industry was in the southern part of the land and hydro-electric power to the north. This power was channelled to the south by an elaborate network of power lines. "We have no Cook Strait, of course, which makes the job a little easier,” he said. Mr Ripa was met In Christchurch by the honorary viceconsul for Sweden in New Zealand (Mr I. Machin). Accompanied by his wife, Mr Rips left for Wellington last night