Duty-Free Entry: Continuance Urged

Press, Volume C, Issue 29599, 23 August 1961, Page 8

Duty-Free Entry: Continuance Urged

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 22. The New Zealand sheep farming industry thinks that nothing short of continued duty-free entry for New Zealand meat to the British market, unrestricted as to volume, will be satisfactory to New Zealand.

This view was declared in a resolution unanimously adopted at the annual meeting of the electoral committee of the Meat Board today. The committee endorsed and declared itself firmly behind the policy and statements of the chairman of the Meat Board (Mr J. D. Ormond) on British membership of the European Economic Community. “His voice-is the voice of the sheep industry of New Zealand represented by this committee,” said the resolution.

Mr J. E. Downes Roberts (Central Otago) said: “I want to congratulate Mr Ormond for putting before the sleepy people of this southern Pacific country the dangers that lie ahead of us in Britain’s courting and finally deciding to join the European Economic Community. Chairman Congratulated “I would like to congratulate Mr Ormond on the stand he has taken over the whole period of this public discussion. I -would like particularly to congratulate him as the only one who was game aftd had the guts to put a spanner in Mr Sandys’ wheel. “I know,” said Mr Roberts, “that the Union Jack wavers were rather horrified that our chairman had the temerity to doubt what Mr Sandys meant by the words he used. But I believe we should all congratulate Mr Ormond.” Sir Walter Mulholland said he thought that though the philosophy behind the European Economic Community was admirable, he believed the conception of it was wrong and, to a degree, bad. The agricultural policy as proposed appeared to be based on the belief that prosperity was to be maintained by restricting the amount spent on food brought in from outside.

He said there -would be a very great danger to New Zealand if Britain joined the E.E.C., as it so far appeared to be constituted. The E.E.C. agricultural policy envisaged an authority to determine, almost on a day-to-day basis, how much meat would be allowed in. This would mean regulation of the market against ■ imports. He could not understand why some British industrialists seemed so keen to have Britain join the Customs union of the E.E.C. Continental industry would be let in to British . markets on equal terms and British industry, already fighting for export markets, would face increased costs when cotn-

peting with the Continental exporters. Sir Walter Mulholland said he thought the thinking of the British delegation which had come to New Zealand for talks was very woolly about the effect British participation in the European Economic Community would have on New Zealand’s trade with the British market. He believed the delegation would go home wiser than it had come.. He was sorry there was not a real farmer in the delegation who might have understood better the true position of New Zealand. Nonetheless the delegation comprised people of very high standard and mental ability. Perhaps they would have, after spending some time in New Zealand, somewhat different findings to report to the British Government than were made by Mr Sandys.