U.S. Consumers’ President On Visit To New Zealand

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29853, 20 June 1962, Page 14

U.S. Consumers’ President On Visit To New Zealand

The president of an American concern with a 4-mil-lion dollar annual budget, and with associate organisations throughout the world, arrived in New Zealand yesterday to begin talks with the sister organisation in New Zealand.

But he will not be meeting big business in New Zealand, for Professor Colston E. Warne is president of the Consumers’ Union of the United States.

“We started up in 1936,” said Professor Warne in an interview after his arrival at Christchurch International Airport. “Unlike your consumers' association, we had no Government backing from the outset—but President Kennedy personally congratulated us on our 25th anniversary.”

Professor Warne said his union got on well with manufacturers and retailers, “although they were a little distrustful at first.” Business firms in the States now regarded the union in much the same manner as stage personalities regarded theatre critics.

Asked whether the union had ever been sued for damages by a business firm, Professor Warne replied: “About a dozen times —but we've never paid a penny damages. We have made a mistake from time to time in a report on a product, but we’ve acknowledged our mistakes and published corrections where necessary. I don't know of a single instance anywhere in the world of a consumers’ union being successfully sued for damages.” Professor Warne, with Mrs Warne, left home in January this year to attend the world congress of consumer associations and visit other countries

where such organisations existed. The International Office of Consumer Unions has its headquarters at The Hague, and New Zealand was represented at this year's conference. Of the 17 member countries, New Zealand. Canada and Japan are the newest members.

Professor Warne’s trip is sponsored by the State Department, and reciprocates visits to the United States by representatives of other consumer associations. He will be in New Zealand for a week. Today he will meet officers of the Christchurch district committee of the New Zealand Consumer Service. With Mrs Warne, he will leave for Wellington on Friday.

Professor Warne, after a distinguished . academic career, and some experience in banking, held various university posts in the United States before accepting professorship at Amherst College, Massachusetts in 1942. He is also an authority on labour relations and has taken a lively interest in civil liberties.