U.K. TRADE OFFICER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29602, 26 August 1961, Page 10

U.K. TRADE OFFICER

Investigation Of Complaint

While he was in Christchurch he had hoped to see Mr D. L. Steven, the Christchurch Drainage Board’s sewage treatment engineer, to discuss complaints about shortcomings by some British manufacturers who have supplied equipment for the new sewage treatment station. tqe British Trade Commissioner in Wellington (Mr G. C. Dick) said when he visited the city yesterday. But Mr Steven was out of town. Mr Dick, who has been in New Zealand for five months, is paying his first visit to the South Island, and has visited Invercargill. Bluff, and Dunedin. where he attended the centennial dinner of the Chamber of Commerce. Some matters were obviously ones for discussion between the supplier and the purchaser, Mr Dick said, but he agreed that complaints of British manufacturers using surface mail to answer inquiries and complaints of packaging insufficient for a io'urney from Britain to New Zealand were those in which his office could take some action. It might be found that the mails were the fault of some junior employee, but such a fault should not happen, he said. The opening in Christchurch of an office and the appointment of a resident United Kingdom Trade Commissioner would be a good step forward, Mr Dick said The office is expected to open in October. The head office in Wellington w r as kept busy on government -to - government negotiations and on economic matters. Mr Dick said; but a trade commissioner in the South Island would be able to deal with day-to-day trade matters, as the Auckland office did. Mr Dick was wary about discussing the possible effects of United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Community. However, he said, if membership did eventuate there would probably be greater w’ork for trade commissioners in New Zealand. Yesterday afternoon Mr Dick met members of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and spoke to them in private.