Major Decisions Unlikely

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 12

Major Decisions Unlikely

(H2. Press Assn.—Copyright)

LONDON, May 31.

The A.N.Z.L’.S. Pact meeting in Wellington next week will have much to talk about, although little room for major decisions, “The Times” said today.

In an editorial, the newspaper said Australia and New Zealand, like other allies of the United States, had bee® pressed to step up their efforts on defence. “Australia has responded by increasing her long-term defence budget and by conceding. at the cost of some political flurry, a naval communications station for the Americans on Australian territory”

The newspaper said, now that Australia shared a frontier with Indonesia, all the arrangements which had functioned so amicably when West Irian was DutcK had to be replaced. “The Australians have emphasised that the New Guinea frontier is the Australian frontier, and comes under ANZ.US. guarantee," it said. ‘'This may have had a bracing effect on public thinking in Australia, which had indeed been complacent about defence for years “More Difficult”

“New Zealand lacks such a spur, and in other ways is in a more difficult position With very little to play with in the way of resources, and an economy which is under a continuing critical inquest the Government has already promised some easement of the citizens in an election year I

They have some troops in Singapore and as members of

S E.A.T.O. are concerned about what may come out of the Indonesian - Malaysian business under review in Tokyo.” But, “The Times" said, compared with Australia, New Zealand’s interest was indirect.

“Politically the three partners in the A.N.Z.U.S Pact differ only in emphasis Commercially the climate is sweeter than it was a year ago. when the Americans had little to offer by way of a windbreak if Britain went into the Common Market. “New Zealand farmers can compete on equal terms with anyone in the world. Outside Britain there is nowhere they are allowed to do it.

“At the same time, the proposals for free trade with Australia, which will be discussed again, run into the difficulty that Australian industrial products would overbear the New Zealanders’ own. New Zealand’s butter and meat would considerably harass the country interests represented in the Australian coalition. “True, New Zealand has been notably complacent economically and the remedies proposed by its Monetary and Economic Council, unanswerable economically, have been too astringent politically to make much headway. “All the same. Wellington and Canberra too must wish that the generalised United

States support for breaking down barriers in the food trade could be tested by a pilot project that would let them show their undoubted ability to compete handsomely with the American farmer,” “The Times” editorial said. Major Questions In a report from its correspondent in Wellington, the newspaper said that two questions which loomed largely in the public mind would be discussed at the conference. They were nuclear tooting and Indonesia’s expansionist policy, “particularly as it might affect the fulfilment of the proposal for a Malaysia Federation. “As security in the Pacific is inseparable from many other issues, the talks are expected to touch upon such matters as Sino-Soviet relations,” the report said. On the subject of nuclear testing “The Times” report said: “The Australian and N. w Zealand Governments have both protested against the French intention to conduct nuclear tests on Muroroa Atoll. “As there had been no evidence of French willingness to forgo Pacific tests. Sir Garfield Bewick and Mr Holyoake are expected to ask the United States to increase pressure at Geneva in the search for a general ban on nuclear testing."