Moves To Narrow Trade Gap

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30121, 3 May 1963, Page 10

Moves To Narrow Trade Gap

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 2. If there was any way of narrowing the trading gap between Australia and New Zealand, the working committees being set up by the Department of Trade in Australia and the Department of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand would find it, the Australian Minister of Customs (Senator N. H. D. Henty) said in Auckland tonight.

Working together, he said, the committees would advise the governments of each country on what action should be taken to rectify the position, but it had to be remembered that Governments could act only in a limited field. ‘‘The only way to sell in the world markets today,” Senator Henty said, “is for businessmen to visit countries, meet the buyers, learn what they want and, if possible, provide what they want. Nobody can lag in this field because every country is now on the warpath for more and more exports.”

Senator Henty said Australia had an adverse trade balance with Britain of £4B million, with United States of £52 million, with Indonesia of £l6 million, with Canada of £7 million and with Sweden of £3 million. “We are in the red because they supply things we want and which we buy from them." he said. “We have import restrictions on only about 7 per cent, of the goods brought into Australia.’ ’ Senator Henty was all in favour of New Zealand sending trade missions to his country. The aggressive selling policy now being adopted by New Zealand was to be commended, he said. But he refused to believe a newspaper report that the mission was finding i. difficult to sell goods because of their high quality. There would always be a market for quality goods. Quality was the one factor which ensured repeat business.